Say hello to my little friend

 Not to be confused with Al Pacino's Montoya character, the Jays have selected Charlie Montoya as their new manager.


Montoyo, 53, is taking his first major-league managerial job. The contract is for three years plus a club option in 2022. He is an old-school baseball mind with an appreciation for analytics. After managing 16 seasons in the Rays’ minor-league system, the former utility infielder joined Tampa Bay’s major-league staff as third-base coach in 2015, then as bench coach in 2018, responsible for the Rays’ extensive defensive shifts.

Montoyo played a season with the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx in 1993 then was promoted for the month of September with the Expos, his only experience as a player in the majors. He attempted a second tour in Montreal in 1996, but realized that his playing time had passed him by.
Montoyo ostensibly began his coaching career when he was asked by the Expos at spring training of 1996 to go down to the lower levels of the minor-league system to work with some of the top young prospects. It was there that he met Vladimir Guerrero embarking on his meteoric rise to the majors. Montoyo sees him as the best minor-league prospect he has seen. Now he will be responsible for Vlad Guerrero, Jr. who is currently ranked as the top prospect in baseball. Full circle.

Vlad Jr

The history of major-league baseball is that when you replace a manager that it is usually someone with the opposite personality traits and skills. While Gibbons was a reluctant convert to the modern wave of analytics, Montoyo is a full-on born-again baseball manager, believing in the shift and in the opportunities to win that are presented by the concept of a pitching opener, rather than a rotation of 100-pitch starters, as pioneered by manager Kevin Cash and the Rays.
Montoyo said he understands the uniqueness of the Jays in major-league baseball, that they are representing an entire country and not just one city. He has experience as a coach for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

 Baseball has always been a copycat game and no longer are front offices reluctant to hire first-year managers, following the recent success of the Red Sox with Alex Cora, the Yankees with Aaron Boone, the Dodgers with Dave Roberts and the Rays with Cash. Montoyo becomes the third minority manager hired by the Jays in the 42 seasons of the franchise, following Cito Gaston (African-American) and Carlos Tosca (Cuban-American). Montoyo’s ability to speak Spanish is a bonus, but was not considered a necessity for the rebuilding Jays.

It seems clear the Blue Jays had certain requirements as part of the interview process for a manager to replace the departed Gibbons. They were looking for a first-time MLB manager with a knowledge of and respect for analytics who had also spent time in a major-league dugout as a coach. The list was down to three.

 Following a preliminary round of phone interviews conducted by Jays’ GM Ross Atkins, it came down to five in-person interviews over the past 14 days. That select group included Giants’ farm director David Bell, Rays’ coach Rocco Baldelli, Rays’ bench coach Charlie Montoyo, Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada and Cubs’ bench coach Brandon Hyde. With Bell deciding to head to the Reds and with the Twins deciding on Baldelli, that effectively left the Jays with three leading candidates.
 There had been lively speculation for two months about other candidates, a list that included two-time Pacific Coast League manager-of-the-Year, Canadian baseball icon Stubby Clapp, former Indians and M’s manager Eric Wedge, currently Jays’ minor-league field coordinator, current Jays’ bench coach Demarlo Hale and the organization’s Double-A New Hampshire manager, John Schneider, who has been with the organization since 2006, working with many of the young players about to make the breakthrough to the majors with a rebuilding squad in 2019.


Espada, 43, was considered a Jays’ front-runner because of the similar path he had taken to Cora, a young Puerto Rican coach graduating from Astros’ bench coach to a major-league managerial position for his first posting. Espada had experience with the Yankees as a third-base coach and spent a season out of uniform in New York’s front office working with GM Brian Cashman.
Hyde, 45, was a strong and interesting candidate for the position, having spent five years as a Marlins’ minor-league player, five years as a minor-league manager, then rising to the majors as a coach with the Marlins and the Cubs, spending the past four years with Joe Maddon.
The Jays coaching staff under John Gibbons all are signed through the 2019 season, but it is expected that at least 2-3 of them will choose to accept jobs elsewhere. Gibbons staff included Hale, pitching coach Pete Walker, hitting coach Brook Jacoby, third-base coach Luis Rivera, first-base coach Tim Leiper, bullpen coach Dane Johnson and quality control coach Mike Mordecai.

Take Two

The Red Sox are halfway to their fourth World Series championship since 2004.

David Price allowed two runs over six innings and the bullpen followed with three perfect frames on Wednesday night in Boston as the Red Sox defeated the Dodgers 4-2 in Game 2 of the World Series. They’ll pack a commanding 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Los Angeles.

Making his first World Series appearance since pitching in relief with the Rays in 2008, Price wasn’t as effective as he was in his Game 5 ALCS start against the Astros, but he managed to hold the Dodgers to just three hits while walking three. Both runs scored in the fourth inning, including a sacrifice fly from Matt Kemp and an RBI single from Yasiel Puig, but the veteran southpaw escaped further damage before delivering consecutive 1-2-3 innings to close out his night. He fanned five batters in the victory while inducing 11 swinging strikes in his 88 pitches.

All Price does is win in the playoffs, apparently. After failing to win his first 11 postseason starts, he has now won each of his last two starts. The Red Sox were actually behind after Price gave up two runs in the fourth inning, but they took the lead back for good with a three-run rally in the fifth. In keeping with their postseason run, all of them came with two outs.

Hyun-Jin Ryu retired the first two batters in the fifth, but the Red Sox had him right where they wanted him. Christian Vazquez and Mookie Betts got a two-out rally started with back-to-back singles. Ryu then walked Andrew Benintendi to load the bases before being pulled in favor of Ryan Madson. It didn’t go well.

Madson walked Steve Pearce to force in the tying run before J.D. Martinez poked a go-ahead two-run single to right field. And that’s all the Red Sox would need, as Price finished his outing on a high note before the hard-throwing trio of Joe Kelly, Nathan Eovaldi, and Craig Kimbrel shut down the Dodgers’ offense to close out the victory.

As for Madson, he’s had a couple of rough days to begin the World Series. He’s inherited five runners through the first two games and has allowed all of them to score. This was his ninth appearance through 13 postseason games for Los Angeles.

Anything can happen, but history isn’t on the Dodgers’ side at this point. Previous teams with a 2-0 lead in the World Series have gone on to win 79.6 percent (43 out of the last 54) of the time, including each of the last 10. The last team to overcome the early series deficit was the 1996 Yankees. It's a tall order against a team which has now won 117 games if you combine the regular season and the postseason.

Eovaldi was previously mentioned as a possible option to start Game 3 on Friday night, but that won’t happen after he was needed on Wednesday. It’s possible he’ll start Game 4 if he doesn’t pitch out of the bullpen again. Rick Porcello is now lined up for Game 3 on Friday night. Walker Buehler will try to get the Dodgers back in the series.



 

Quick Hits: According to FOX 9 Sports in Minnesota, the Twins will hire Rays major league field coordinator Rocco Baldelli as their new manager on Thursday … Yoenis Cespedes’ left heel surgery has been delayed a few days due to a scheduling conflict … Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that young left-hander Julio Urias will be stretched out as a starter in 2019 … Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was named as the winner of the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes the player “who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions” on and off the field … Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers are interviewing Eric Chavez for their managerial opening … The Diamondbacks claimed right-hander Artie Lewicki off waivers from the Tigers …

Come Sale Away, to the Fall Classic

After two long days of no baseball, the World Series will get underway on Tuesday.

You couldn’t ask for a better Game 1 pitching matchup, as Clayton Kershaw will take the ball for the Dodgers and will square off against fellow ace left-hander Chris Sale of the Red Sox.

Kershaw finished off the Dodgers’ NLCS Game 7 win over the Brewers on Saturday with a scoreless ninth inning, so he’ll be pitching on just two days’ rest. However, he threw just 15 pitches in that appearance and that didn’t stop him from going through a workout on Sunday at Fenway Park.

Sale will be pitching on nine days’ rest, as his last outing came back on October 13 in Game 1 of the ALCS. He had to be pushed back from a scheduled ALCS Game 5 start because of a stomach issue that was definitely not belly button ring-related. The illness caused Sale to lose some weight, but he threw a bullpen session without issue Saturday and said he’s “back on track and back to normal.”

The only other pitching matchup that’s set in stone is Game 2, which will feature Hyun-Jin Ryu versus David Price. Walker Buehler will toe the slab for the Dodgers in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium and will be opposed by either Nathan Eovaldi or Rick Porcello. Whoever of Eovaldi or Porcello doesn’t start Game 3 will be set up for Game 4 against Rich Hill.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Matt Kemp will start at designated hitter and David Freese will also be in the lineup (presumably at first base) for Game 1. Neither comes as a surprise, as Freese has been the regular first baseman against lefties and Kemp has crushed southpaws this year and isn’t a strong defensive outfielder. Yasiel Puig has often been benched against lefties due to his reverse splits, but he could start in right field after his NLCS Game 7 heroics.

Steve Pearce will start at first base for the Red Sox as he typically does against lefties and Sandy Leon will catch Sale as usual. Eduardo Nunez figures to start at third base if his ankle is OK. The Red Sox’ most interesting lineup decision will come when they lose the DH spot in Dodger Stadium. J.D. Martinez will play the outfield and to make room for him the club is considering putting Mookie Betts at second base, where he hasn’t started a game since 2014.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get this series rolling.

D-backs Re-Sign Escobar

Impending free agents don’t officially hit the open market until five days after the World Series. However, they can re-up with their current team until then and that’s what Eduardo Escobar did Monday.

The Diamondbacks announced the re-signing of Escobar to a reported three-year, $21 million contract. Escobar is coming off a career-best offensive season, having posted a .272/.334/.489 batting line with 23 home runs and 84 RBI across 151 games for the Twins and D-backs. He hit .268/.327/.444 with eight bombs and 21 RBI over 54 games after being acquired by Arizona at the trade deadline.

General manager Mike Hazen said that the team views Escobar as an everyday player, but where he plays and whether it will be at one position is yet to be determined. Jake Lamb is coming off a terrible 2018 campaign and had shoulder surgery in August, so Escobar might settle in as the regular third baseman. That could potentially free the D-backs up to trade Lamb or perhaps Paul Goldschmidt. The club has also discussed the possibility of moving Ketel Marte to center field, which would free up second base for Escobar.

Of course, a lot of Escobar’s value lies in his ability to play multiple positions, and there would seem to be plenty of at-bats available to him between third base, shortstop and second base. Getting Escobar – who will turn 30 in January – on a relatively modest deal looks like a sensible move for the Snakes.

Mesas to Miami

The moves were telegraphed as the Marlins built up more and more international spending money over the last several weeks, and on Monday they made official the signing of two big international free agents.

Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. were introduced at a press conference Monday at Marlins Park. The two brothers sat alongside chief executive officer Derek Jeter as the Hall of Famer spoke glowingly about the potential of the Cubans while also reiterating the organization’s desire to become players on the international market after they ignored it for so long.

Victor Victor, 22, is considered the big prize, as he signed for a reported $5.25 million and was ranked by various evaluators as the top international talent in the current signing period. The center fielder is considered to be a strong defender and could potentially fit toward the top of a batting order. He could begin next season at the Double-A level, although the Marlins will take a look at him in spring training before making any decisions.

Victor Jr., 17, signed for $1 million and is obviously not as close to the majors. Also an outfielder, Victor Jr. was a switch-hitter in Cuba but is expected to hit exclusively from the left side as he begins his pro career in the Marlins system.


Quick Hits: Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Monday that he's been in touch with Adrian Beltre but Beltre has not made a decision yet on retirement. The GM added that they will work something out to bring him back if he decides to keep playing … The Seibu Lions said Sunday that they would post Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi this offseason if Kikuchi requests it … Seunghwan Oh is expected to pitch for the Rockies in 2019 after a previous report indicated that he was considering returning to Korea … Jim Bowden of The Athletic has reported that the Red Sox are expected to add Steven Wright (knee) to their World Series roster … Brodie Van Wagenen had his second interview for the Mets' vacant managerial job on Monday. Fellow finalists Doug Melvin and Chaim Bloom will have their second interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively … Rocco Baldelli had a second interview for the Twins’ managerial vacancy Monday … Joe Espada interviewed for the Blue Jays' managerial vacancy Monday …

7th Heaven

The Dodgers entered Game 6 of the NLCS on Friday looking to punch their ticket to the World Series for the second consecutive season.

The Brewers meanwhile, were just looking to survive and advance in any way possible.

The Dodgers threw the first punch in this one. Postseason legend David Freese, batting out of the leadoff spot in the order for just the third time in his entire career, smashed a leadoff home run off of Brewers’ left-hander Wade Miley to silence the home faithful at Miller Park and give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Brewers to strike back. In the bottom half of the first inning, Lorenzo Cain started things with an infield single. After Christian Yelich was retired on a terrific play by Justin Turner at third base, Ryan Braun drew a one-out walk. Jesus Aguilar then lined a two-run double into right field, restoring the life into the home crowd.

Mike Moustakas followed suit, attacking the first pitch that he saw from Hyun-Jin Ryu for a run-scoring double of his own. Erik Kratz then ambushed the first pitch he saw, serving an RBI single into right center.

The Brewers wound up batting around in the first inning, pushing those four runs across to take a 4-1 lead. They’d add to that lead the next inning, when Ryan Braun came through with an RBI double to score Christian Yelich who had doubled before him.

The Dodgers struck back in the fifth inning, again with lefty-masher David Freese. He lined an RBI double into the gap to score Brian Dozier who had just worked a four-pitch walk off of Miley. The left-hander then walked Max Muncy, and that was all manager Craig Counsell needed to see. He called upon right-hander Corey Knebel with two men on and one out in the fifth inning, and the third and fourth place hitters due up for the Dodgers.

Knebel was up to the challenge. He retired Justin Turner on a fly ball to center field, then punched out Manny Machado to end the threat. In the bottom half of the inning, the Brewers’ threatened for more, loading the bases against Alex Wood, but Counsell opted not to pinch-hit for Knebel, leaving him to strikeout to end the inning.

Knebel stuck around for the sixth inning, hitting Joc Pederson with one out, but otherwise working a clean inning to keep the 5-2 lead intact.

The Brewers added to their lead in the seventh inning, when Aguilar scampered home on a wild pitch by Kenta Maeda. While Dodgers’ catcher Yasmani Grandal really had no chance at blocking that ball, given his struggles behind the plate in the series, I’m sure that play drew the ire of many Dodgers’ fans.

The Brewers cashed in on another Dodgers’ miscue in the eighth inning. After Hernan Perez hit into what looked like it should have been an inning-ending double play that the Dodgers were unable to turn over, Aguilar cashed in Lorenzo Cain with a two-out RBI single to extend their lead to 7-2.

Corbin Burnes worked the final two innings for the Brewers, recording a pair of strikeouts while retiring all six hitters that he faced.

Not only did the Brewers stave off elimination by winning Game 6, but manager Craig Counsell was able to avoid using bullpen ace Josh Hader, which should extend his availability for Saturday’s winner-take-all contest.

On the hill for the Dodgers on Saturday will be rookie right-hander Walker Buehler. He pitched pretty well in a losing effort in Game 3 of the series, allowing four runs on five hits over seven innings while racking up eight strikeouts.

You’ll remember that he was opposed by Jhoulys Chacin in that contest. The Brewers’ right-hander scattered three hits and a pair of walks over 5 ⅓ innings of shutout baseball in that one while striking out six. In fact, Chacin hasn’t allowed a single run in 10 ⅓ innings over his two starts this postseason.

It’ll be an all-hands-on-deck scenario for both bullpens in this one, with only Friday’s starters likely to be unavailable to their respective managers. With the Brewers holding Hader out of Game 5 and 6, it would be surprising if he didn’t work at least two innings in Saturday’s must-win game.

Awaiting the winner is a date with Chris Sale and the Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series which will begin in Boston on Tuesday.

American League Quick Hits: Charlie Morton said after the Astros were eliminated Thursday that he plans to continue his career. He’s likely to receive a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Astros this winter, and has expressed his desire to remain in Houston, so there’s a chance that he could wind up accepting that one-year pact rather than looking for a multi-year deal on the free agent market… Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey (elbow/forearm) will resume a throwing program in December…. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that Matt Davidson will train this winter in hopes of becoming a two-way player next season. He doesn’t envision ever becoming a high-leverage reliever, but does think that he can be a regular weapon out of the White Sox bullpen, providing their roster with extra flexibility. Davidson made three scoreless appearances for the White Sox during the season, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out two… Red Sox manager Alex Cora said in an interview on WEEI on Friday that Chris Sale (illness) will start Game 1 of the World Series next Tuesday… .

National League Quick Hits: MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports that the Mets have completed their first round of interviews and have begun paring down their list as they seek a new general manager. De Jon Watson, Gary LaRocque and Dave Littlefield are reportedly out of the running. Chaim Bloom, Doug Melvin, Brodie Van Wagenen and Kim Ng are the other known candidates, with Andy Martino of SNY.tv reporting that Melvin has "several people both inside and outside the organization" advocating for him… Joe Musgrove underwent surgery to repair his right abdominal wall and help a pelvic stress reaction heal. He's expected to need six weeks of rehab time, with the Pirates saying the right-hander "will be on or close to a regular schedule for 2019 spring training."... With Joe Girardi removing his name from consideration for the Reds’ managerial job, David Bell has emerged as the favorite to secure the gig. Bell has been working as the director of player development for the Giants. While he has no managerial experience, he’s also a finalist for the Blue Jays’ and Rangers’ jobs, and is also being considered for the general manager’s job in San Francisco, so he’s in very high demand…

Fits like a glove

With no other baseball being played and no major football games to contend with for eyeballs -- apologies to Appalachian State and the Sun Belt Conference -- Game 4 of the ALDS between the Red Sox and Yankees took center stage in the sports world on Tuesday night.

And it delivered in terms of entertainment value, with New Yankee Stadium sounding like Old Yankee Stadium and the final out coming down to a replay review at first base.

You know the score: Boston won 4-3 and will advance to a best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the defending-champion Astros. Now let’s get into the minutiae …

Rick Porcello started the game for the visiting Red Sox and delivered five innings of one-run ball. The right-hander tallied just one strikeout but issued zero walks and limited a powerful Yankees lineup to four hits -- two doubles, two singles -- before getting lifted with a pitch count of 65 after the bottom of the fifth. Porcello will be lined up to start Game 3 or Game 4 of the ALCS versus Houston, though manager Alex Cora might opt to use the former American League Cy Young Award winner out of the bullpen earlier in the series -- just like he did in Game 1 of the ALDS.

Cora went to Chris Sale in the eighth inning Tuesday and the ace left-hander worked a perfect 1-2-3 frame on just 13 total pitches, looking as sharp as we’ve seen him in the last two months. He should be ready to rock for Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday at Fenway Park. Call his ALDS Game 4 outing a between-starts bullpen session -- that’s how free-and-easy he pitched while retiring Gleyber Torres, Andrew McCutchen, and Aaron Hicks in succession.

Just about every button Cora pressed in the best-of-five American League Division Series yielded positive results. He started Ian Kinsler over Brock Holt on Tuesday, despite Holt recording the first cycle in postseason history on Monday, and Kinsler went on to rip an RBI double off CC Sabathia as part of a three-run third inning for Boston.

Cora also started Christian Vazquez at catcher over Sandy Leon in Game 4, and Vazquez, who totaled just three home runs during the regular season and hadn't gone deep since June 26, belted a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning off Yankees reliever Zach Britton.

But we can’t ignore Craig Kimbrel’s shakiness. He gave up a home run to Aaron Judge in Game 1 of the ALDS last Friday and nearly blew a three-run Game 4 lead on Tuesday, yielding two walks, a single, a sacrifice fly, and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning before inducing a game-ending groundout from Gleyber Torres -- which, as stated at the top of this column, was close enough to bring on a desperation challenge from the Yankees.

Kimbrel needs to be sharper next round against a relentless, fully-stocked Astros outfit. And Cora’s aggressive decisions might not play as well in a best-of-seven series, especially given the caliber of Boston’s next opponent. But we sure are looking forward to this matchup.

As for the Yankees’ side of things, Sabathia made it through just three innings in what might have been his final start in pinstripes. You could make the argument that manager Aaron Boone should have pulled him earlier -- at the very first sign of trouble -- given the depth of talent in New York’s bullpen. The 38-year-old left-hander is scheduled to become a free agent in early November.

Also notable is that Giancarlo Stanton had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with two men on and zero outs but flailed at a Kimbrel slider for strike three. He finished 0-for-4, and the boo birds at Yankee Stadium returned for a final farewell as he walked back to the dugout.

Quick Hits: The Rays extended the contract of manager Kevin Cash through 2024 … Braves manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday that there are no "long-term concerns" about Dansby Swanson's left hand … Impending free agent starter Anibal Sanchez told reporters after the Braves’ elimination from the NLDS that he hopes to play another couple of seasons … Twins general manager Thad Levine said Tuesday that Miguel Sano (knee) could play winter ball … Phillies pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez will skip the Arizona Fall League after recently experiencing soreness in his right collarbone … Free agent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM that he's preparing to play next year … Twins utility infielder Ehire Adrianza underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder … Matt Stairs will not return as the Padres’ hitting coach in 2019.

Welcome to Brocktober

Brock Holt admitted after the Red Sox’ rout of the Yankees on Monday that he was trying to hit a home run in his last plate appearance. Given the situation, it’s hard to blame him.

Holt hit for the first ever cycle in major league postseason history in ALDS Game 3 on Monday in the Bronx as the Red Sox embarrassed the Yankees 16-1. It was the most lopsided loss in Yankees postseason history in what is their 54^th time in the playoffs.

After a single and two-run triple in the fourth inning and double in the eighth, Holt walked to the dish in the ninth a home run shy of history. He got to face backup catcher Austin Romine since the Yanks didn’t want to further burn their bullpen, and Holt yanked one down the right field line and over the wall for a two-run shot. Hey, he’ll take it.

Boston pounded out 18 hits, but Holt had their only home run and three of their five extra-base knocks on the night, as they mostly singled the Yankees to death while also benefitting greatly from eight walks. Andrew Benintendi (four times on base, three RBI) and Mookie Betts (three times on base, two RBI) also had nice nights at the plate.



Nathan Eovaldi wasn’t even a given to be in the Red Sox’ ALDS rotation, but on Monday he turned in one of the best pitching performances of this year’s playoffs. He tossed seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just five singles and no walks while notching five strikeouts. Eovaldi retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced and was still hitting triple digits in his final inning of work.

Luis Severino was charged with six runs on seven hits and two walks over three-plus innings of work in a clunker of an outing. It was pretty clear from a get-go that he didn’t have it and it was a surprise that manager Aaron Boone stuck with him as long as he did. It was also a surprise that the first reliever Boone turned to was Lance Lynn, who walked in a run, gave up a bases-clearing double and a single among the four batters he faced.

For what it’s worth, TBS analyst Ron Darling reported during the game that Severino began his warmup routine just 10 minutes before first pitch because he was unaware what time the game started. However, Severino, Boone and pitching coach Larry Rothschild all said that the righty went through his normal routine and there were no issues. Regardless, there’s no doubting Severino had a rough night. The only guy whose night might have been worse was umpire Angel Hernandez.

The Yankees were down 0-2 in last year’s ALDS versus the Indians before storming back with three straight victories to advance to the ALCS and will need another comeback this time around to stay alive. They’ve hand the ball to CC Sabathia on Tuesday and the Red Sox will counter with Rick Porcello as they try to move on to face the Astros.

George Springer

Astros Spring into ALCS

George Springer was a relative disappointment from a power perspective during the regular season. Apparently he just needed to get back to the postseason to start swatting home runs again.

Springer popped two more longballs Monday in Cleveland as the Astros closed out their ALDS sweep of the Indians. His solo shot in the fifth inning got the scoring going for Houston and his solo blast in the eighth kicked off a six-run frame as the Astros ran away with what was ultimately an 11-3 victory.

Springer – who also added an infield single in the game – has now hit 10 home runs over 27 postseason contests covering 123 plate appearances, which is an Astros record. Seven of those longballs have come across his last nine playoff games.

The Astros also got a dinger from Carlos Correa on Monday, which was the shortstop’s lone hit of the ALDS. The hope, obviously, is that it will get Correa going after he struggled down the stretch while fighting through a nagging back injury.

Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel combined to allow just five runs over 17 1/3 innings (2.60 ERA) in their three starts after Keuchel held the Indians to two runs across five frames Monday. They had a 21/3 K/BB ratio over that span (thanks in large part to Cole’s 12/0 K/BB ratio in Game 2). How about Houston’s bullpen? The only run they gave up across 9 2/3 innings in the ALDS scored Monday on a Will Harris wild pitch.

After coming up just short in Game 7 of the World Series in 2016, the Indians have now been beaten in the ALDS two years in a row. Outside of Francisco Lindor, who homered Monday and went 4-for-11 with a couple longballs in the series, the Tribe’s offense didn’t really show up against the Astros. Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso went a combined 6-for-48 (.125) with zero extra-base hits in the series.

The Astros will face the winner of the Red Sox/Yankees series in Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday. They’ll host if the Yankees advance and will be on the road if the Red Sox move on.

Dodgers Down Braves

The Dodgers are back in the NLCS again.

Manny Machado had a big night as the Dodgers eliminated the Braves on Monday with a 6-2 NLDS Game 4 victory. The shortstop plated the first run of the game with an RBI double in the top of the first inning off of starter Mike Foltynewicz. He provided a deadly blow in the seventh with a three-run home run off of reliever Chad Sobotka.

The Dodgers also got a big hit from David Freese, who came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit, two-run single in the sixth inning to give Los Angeles a lead that they wouldn’t give up. Freese coming up with a big base hit in October. Imagine that.

Rich Hill walked five batters and lasted just 4 1/3 innings Monday, but the Dodgers’ bullpen once again came up big with 4 2/3 scoreless frames and just two baserunners allowed. Aside from a solo home run Alex Wood surrendered to Freddie Freeman in Game 3, the Dodgers’ pen didn’t give up a run the entire series.

The Dodgers’ big trade deadline acquisition, Machado went just 3-for-17 in the series and struck out seven times. However, he certainly picked his spots with those three hits, driving in six runs with a two-run homer, a three-run homer and an RBI double.

It was a rough series for the Braves’ bats in particular. They were shut out in Games 1 and 2 and the only runs they scored in Game 4 came on a pinch-hit, two-run single by Kurt Suzuki. In other words, their starting lineup didn’t drive in a run in three of the four games.

While the NLDS didn’t turn out as hoped, the Braves have to be pretty thrilled with their season. They were viewed by most coming into the season as likely at least a year or two away from being a contender, but they clicked sooner than expected and wound up winning the National League East fairly easily. With Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies and Freeman and a boatload of interesting young arms to build around, they could be a steady presence in October for a while.

As for the Dodgers, they will begin their NLCS matchup against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday. It’s a matchup of probably the most talented team in the NL against inarguably the hottest team in the Senior Circuit.


Quick Hits: Miguel Sano won't face criminal charges for an accident in the Dominican Republic on Sunday which left a police officer with a broken leg … Avisail Garcia underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee … Kevan Smith underwent successful surgery on his left ankle … The Marlins have fired pitching coach Juan Nieves, first base coach Perry Hill, assistant hitting coach Frank Menechino, and strength and conditioning coach Ty Hill …

Guess he needed the rest

Some questioned the decision of Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts to hold back star left-hander Clayton Kershaw for an extra day of rest, rather than throwing him in Game 1 of the NLDS on Thursday.I’d say it worked out pretty well.

A day after Hyun-Jin Ryu fired seven shutout innings en route to a Game 1 victory, Kershaw delivered the longest and best postseason start of his career as the Dodgers took Game 2 to capture a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Braves.

It looked like the Braves could have had Kershaw on the ropes early, as Ronald Acuna lined the game’s very first pitch for a leadoff double, then advanced to third with only one out. Kershaw was able to strand him there though, getting Freddie Freeman on a hard ground ball to second base, and freezing Nick Markakis with a called third strike.

From there, he was off and running. That started a string of 14 consecutive hitters that Kershaw would retire until an infield single by Ender Inciarte with two outs in the fifth inning. After that, he would set down 10 more Braves’ hitters in order to end his night, resulting in eight spectacular innings of two-hit, shutout baseball.

Kershaw became just the fourth hurler in postseason history to pitch eight or more innings and allow two or fewer hits without walking a batter. The fact that he only struck out three in the contest doesn’t do justice to just how dominant he was on Friday. He needed only 85 pitches (63 strikes) to navigate through his eight innings.

Roberts sent him back to the hill for the start of the ninth inning, but it was only to give him an extra curtain call, allowing him to walk off to a raucous standing ovation from the Dodgers’ home faithful. Kenley Jansen then came on to work a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the shutout.

With their second straight shutout, the Dodgers joined the 1921 Yankees as the only teams to begin a postseason series without allowing a single run in its first two games. It won’t get any easier for the Braves, as they’ll have to contend with star rookie right-hander Walker Buehler when the series shifts to Atlanta on Sunday.

On the offensive side of the ledger, Manny Machado provided all of the offense that the Dodgers would need with a two-out, two-run blast off of Anibal Sanchez in the first inning. For all of the BvP truthers out there, Machado came into the contest having gone 7-for-15 (.467) with three homers and a double against Sanchez in his career. Yasmani Grandal chipped in with a solo home run in the fifth inning to add an insurance run that wouldn’t be needed.

The Braves will now turn to Kevin Gausman as they look to stave off elimination when the series shifts to SunTrust Park in Atlanta on Sunday night.

Star Power

The Astros began their defense of their World Series title in impressive fashion on Friday, as they slugged four home runs in a decisive 7-2 victory over Corey Kluber and the Indians.

Alex Bregman opened the scoring in the contest with a solo shot off of Kluber in the fourth inning, the fifth postseason home run in 19 career postseason games for the 24-year-old third baseman.

The Astros then added back-to-back homers from George Springer and Jose Altuve in the fifth inning, eventually chasing Kluber from the game. For Springer, it was the fifth straight playoff game in which he has homered, tying former teammate Carlos Beltran for the second longest streak in MLB history.

The Indians’ right-hander has now allowed nine home runs over his last four postseason starts, the most for any pitcher during a four-game stretch in MLB history.

Martin Maldonado tacked on a solo homer off of Cody Allen in the seventh inning, extending the Astros’ lead to 5-2 with their fourth homer of the ballgame. This after the club smashed a World Series’ record 15 home runs as they captured their first championship a season ago.

On the Astros’ side, Justin Verlander continued his postseason dominance with another gem against the Indians. He allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven over 5 ⅓ innings of two-run baseball.

He cruised through five shutout innings, before running into trouble and loading the bases with one out in the sixth inning. It’s there that manager A.J. Hinch turned to the bullpen, where Ryan Pressly allowed a run to score on a wild pitch, and a second on a ground out off the bat of Jose Ramirez. That would be the extent of the Tribe’s offense in the ballgame as Pressly, Lance McCullers and Roberto Osuna combined on 3 ⅔ innings of one-hit baseball to close it out.

There’s another outstanding pitcher’s duel on tap for Saturday as Carlos Carrasco will take the ball against Gerrit Cole. Jose Altuve has had a particularly good history against Carrasco, going 10-for-23 (.435) with a homer and three RBI while Josh Reddick is 6-for-12 (.500) with a homer.

Redemption

Brewers right-hander Jeremy Jeffress was saddled with a blown save and ruined a chance at a shutout when he allowed a pair of runs in the ninth inning of Game 1 on Friday. Fortunately for the Brewers, they were still able to come back and win in the 10th inning.

It took less than 24 hours for Jeffress to have his shot at redemption.After five shutout frames from starter Jhoulys Chacin, Brewers’ manager Craig Counsell patched together the sixth and seventh innings with Corey Knebel, Joakim Soria and Josh Hader. After that, he was going to win or lose with his go-to guy.

Jeffress was called upon to protect a 1-0 lead against the heart of the Rockies’ lineup in the eighth inning. He would allow a one-out single to Nolan Arenado, but no further damage in a scoreless frame. The Brewers would tack on three insurance runs during the home half of the eighth, but Counsell would stick with his closer to finish things out. The right-hander would give up a leadoff single to Gerardo Parra, but nothing more as he completed the shutout and gave the Brewers a massive 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

While the top half of the Brewers’ lineup carried them for the majority of the season, it was the bottom half of the order that did the damage in this one. Back-to-back doubles from Mike Moustakas and Hernan Perez produced the game’s first run in the fifth inning. Moustakas then delivered a run-scoring single in the eighth inning, and veteran backstop Erik Kratz came through with a two-out, two-run single to cap off their offensive output.

Jeffress and the rest of the Brewers’ key bullpen components that have been heavily taxed down the stretch, will now get a much-needed day of rest as the series shifts to Colorado for Sunday’s Game 3. It’s there that the Brewers will look to win their 11th consecutive ballgame and put the final nail in the coffin for the Rockies’ season.

To do so, they’ll need to knock off right-hander German Marquez who will oppose Brewers’ southpaw Wade Miley on Sunday afternoon.

Red Sox Hang On

The Red Sox’ bullpen has been a point of contention for much of the season, as they struggled to maintain a trustworthy bridge from their starting pitchers to lock-down closer Craig Kimbrel.

So naturally, once the bright lights of the postseason began to shine on Friday, that struggle would come to the forefront.

The Red Sox jumped out to an early lead in this one, as J.D. Martinez slugged a three-run homer off of J.A. Happ in the opening inning. The Red Sox extended that advantage with a pair of runs in the third inning, chasing Happ after he recorded only six outs in the ballgame.

At that point, it looked like it would be a rout for the Red Sox. Star southpaw Chris Sale had racked up eight strikeouts over four shutout innings to begin the game and looked invincible with a 5-0 lead.

The Yankees wouldn’t go quietly though. They finally broke through against Sale in the sixth. Aaron Judge led off the inning with a single, then Giancarlo Stanton singled with one-out, prompting Red Sox’ skipper Alex Cora to turn to his bullpen. Ryan Brasier came on and allowed an RBI single to Luke Voit. Didi Gregorius then hustled out a ground ball that the Red Sox were unable to turn two on, hanging a second run on Sale’s line. Brasier then walked Miguel Andujar, bringing the tying run to the plate.

It was there that Cora turned to Brandon Workman to relieve Brasier. He came on and issued a four-pitch walk to free-swinging backstop Gary Sanchez to load the bases, setting the stage for rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres. Torres got himself into a dream 3-1 count before taking a juicy fastball that caught a substantial portion of the plate for a called strike. He then flailed at a breaking ball to end the threat.

The Red Sox weren’t out of the woods though. In the seventh inning, the Yankees came charging back again. Workman allowed back-to-back singles to Andrew McCutchen and Aaron Judge to begin the inning, before turning the ball over to Matt Barnes. Barnes then walked Brett Gardner to load the bases with no one out, and the heart of the Bombers’ lineup coming up.

He battled back though, striking out Giancarlo Stanton. Luke Voit was able to put the ball in play, pushing a third run across on a fielder’s choice to trim the Yankees’ deficit to two. Didi Gregorius then grounded out to end the threat.

With no other trustworthy options to turn to in the eighth inning, Cora called upon Game 3 scheduled starter Rick Porcello to begin the frame. This isn’t the first time that the Red Sox have gone in that direction, as Porcello worked a scoreless eighth inning out of the bullpen during Game 1 of the ALDS a season ago. This couldn’t have been the plan going in though, as Porcello had already thrown 20-25 pitches in his regular side session prior to the game.

The right-hander did a nice job though, retiring the first two hitters he faced before allowing an infield single to Gleyber Torres. He then gave way to closer Craig Kimbrel to get the final four outs. Kimbrel got out of the eighth just fine, but served up a leadoff homer to Aaron Judge to begin the ninth, cutting the lead to one. One of the game’s best closers though, Kimbrel roared back to strike out Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit in succession to put the game away.

These two teams will meet again on Saturday as David Price will do battle against Masahiro  Tanaka. Gary Sanchez had owned Price in his career, going 6-for-13 (.462) with five homers and 11 RBI. Luke Voit also has a nice history against the Red Sox’ southpaw, albeit in a much more limited sample, going 3-for-5 with a pair of homers. On the other side, J.D. Martinez is 8-for-18 (.444) with three homers and eight RBI against Tanaka while Andrew Benintendi  is 8-for-24 (.333) with a pair of long balls.

American League Quick Hits: Aaron Hicks was forced to leave Friday’s game in the fifth inning due to right hamstring tightness. It’s an issue that plagued HIcks over the final few weeks of the regular season as well and could call his availability for the remainder of the postseason into question. He’ll undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury. If the Yankees are forced to replace him on their roster for the ALDS, he would not be eligible to return for the ALCS should the Bombers’ advance… Red Sox’ right-hander Steven Wright was unavailable out of the Red Sox’ bullpen on Friday after complaining of right knee soreness. He underwent an MRI on Friday, the results of which are not yet known… Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman said Friday that Clint Frazier (concussion) is at home resting and has seen significant improvement. It doesn’t seem as though he has progressed to the point where he could be called upon to replace Aaron Hicks on the postseason roster if needed though… Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone announced that Luis Severino will start Game 3 of the ALDS against the Red Sox while CC Sabathia will start Game 4 if necessary… Athletics’ pitching prospect Grant Holmes has been shut down and will have his right shoulder examined after he experienced renewed soreness… The Blue Jays officially acquired Julian Merryweather from the Indians to complete the Josh Donaldson trade. Jon Berti was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster…

National League Quick Hits: Braves’ manager Brian Snitker confirmed that Kevin Gausman will start Game 3 for the Braves on Sunday, as they attempt to stave off elimination as the series shifts to Atlanta… The Rockies announced that German Marquez will start a must-win Game 3 of the NLDS against the Brewers, while Kyle Freeland will get the ball in Game 4 if the Rockies are able to force one… MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports that the Mets reached out to the Twins for permission to speak with Thad Levine about their general manager job, but Levine declined to be interviewed… The Cardinals announced that Paul DeJong had surgery this week to remove the plate from his previously fractured left hand. They also announced that Kolten Wong will not require surgery on his ailing left knee.

Can I have some extra Yelich please ?

When the calendar flips to October, relievers take over. They accounted for nearly half of all innings pitched in last year’s postseason. While the trend has been steadily increasing for several years, the Brewers took that philosophy to the extreme in their 3-2 extra-innings victory over the Rockies in Game 1 of the NLDS. Christian Yelich launched a two-run homer off Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela in the third inning and the Brewers were three outs from a Game One victory after four relievers -- Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Corey Knebel and Josh Hader -- combined for eight shutout innings. Less than 24 hours earlier, a similar gambit by the Athletics had imploded in spectacular fashion in Yankee Stadium. However, the Brewers had seemingly illustrated the perfect blueprint to spawn revolution in postseason reliever usage. Not only had they eschewed a traditional starter in favor of an unorthodox opener, but all four relievers they utilized recorded at least four outs over eight frames. The bold strategy worked perfectly, until everything unraveled at the finish line.

The Rockies mounted a furious ninth-inning comeback against Milwaukee closer Jeremy Jeffress, who hadn’t allowed an earned run since August 29. The improbable rally after eight innings of futility began rather innocuously when Gerardo Parra and Matt Holliday led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting the tying runs on base. Charlie Blackmon plated a run with an RBI single to right field before DJ LeMahieu reached on a throwing error by shortstop Orlando Arcia and put the tying run 90 feet away with nobody out. Nolan Arenado, who was robbed of a run-scoring extra-base by his Brewers counterpart Mike Moustakas back in the first inning, followed with a game-tying RBI sacrifice fly. Jeffress managed to escape without any further damage, but there’s a strong possibility that the Brewers will turn to Hader or Knebel in the next high-leverage situation they face in the series.




Fittingly, it was Milwaukee’s offensive catalyst, Yelich, who led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a single to salvage the win. He eventually came around to score the game-winning run on a Moustakas walk-off single to lift the Brewers’ to an extra-inning victory. The 26-year-old outfielder finished 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a stolen base and a pair of walks. At this point, we’ve simply run out of superlatives to describe his surreal second-half surge. It’s a quick turnaround for both teams with Game 2 of the series slated for Friday afternoon. Jhoulys Chacin will take the ball on short rest for the Brewers, while lefty Tyler Anderson, who served up a National League-leading 30 homers during the regular season, gets the nod for the Rockies.

Dodgers Demolish Braves

Meanwhile, the Dodgers behind seven scoreless innings from Hyun-Jin Ryu, who allowed just four hits and struck out eight batters, defeated the Braves 6-0 to take a 1-0 series lead in their NLDS matchup on Thursday. Joc Pederson set the tone with a leadoff homer against Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz and Max Muncy followed with a three-run shot in the second inning to effectively put the game away. The Braves lineup managed just six hits in the shutout loss. All eyes will turn to Clayton Kershaw, who is slated to start Game 2 of the series for the Dodgers on Friday night. The 30-year-old southpaw gets unfairly criticized for his perceived lack of postseason success, but he’s still arguably the greatest pitcher of his generation. He has an opportunity to give Los Angeles a commanding series lead. It’s too early to panic, but the Braves need a strong performance from veteran right-hander Anibal Sanchez in this one.

Sale Set for Fenway Showdown

It’s been 14 years since the last time Boston and New York clashed in the postseason. However this time the pressure is on the Red Sox. More specifically, Chris Sale. The central question, which will have a larger impact on their success or failure than any other variable this month, revolves around the health of their ace. The range of potential outcomes when he takes the mound at Fenway Park on Friday night is wider than the Grand Canyon. His recent mechanical issues and lingering health questions have led to rampant speculation on both fronts. Rather than dive down that rabbit hole, here are the simple facts. The 29-year-old southpaw has made two shoulder-related trips to the disabled list and thrown only 29 innings in seven starts since the All-Star break. In his final start of the regular season against the Orioles last Wednesday, his average fastball velocity (90.2 mph) was the lowest of his entire major-league career. The Red Sox were insistent that his diminished velocity was the result of faulty mechanics, not lingering shoulder issues. Regardless of the underlying cause, it’s still a legitimate concern.

There’s no question Sale will be ready to go mentally in Game 1 of the ALDS, but we have no way of knowing where he’s at from a physical standpoint. Here’s why it matters. If Sale is ineffective, or unable to pitch deep into the game, it puts increased pressure on David Price, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi and a shaky collection of relievers -- outside of closer Craig Kimbrel -- to shoulder a much larger workload over the remainder of the series. We know that Sale can still be effective with diminished velocity, but if he’s compromised physically, can he dominate a potent Yankee lineup in the playoffs? We’re about to find out.

Houston, We’ve Got A Pitcher’s Duel

The defending World Series champion Astros kick off their title defense with Game 1 against the Indians on Friday afternoon. It’s hard to believe that a matchup featuring a pair of throwback, old-school aces in Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander -- who own a combined three Cy Young Awards since 2011 -- is the afterthought on the American League side, but here we are. In a postseason landscape dominated by relievers, this is the old school throwback matchup where it wouldn’t be shocking to see either starter go the distance.


Quick Hits: Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters on Thursday that Kevin Gausman is the favorite to start Game 3 of the NLDS … CC Sabathia is on the 25-man roster for the Yankees for their ALDS matchup against the Red Sox … Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to start a potential ALDS Game 4 against the Yankees … Hector Rondon was left off the Astros’ ALDS roster … Jon Gray was left off the Rockies' NLDS roster … Dan Winkler was left off the Braves' NLDS roster … Eric Thames was left off the Brewers’ NLDS roster … Ross Stripling was left off the Dodgers' NLDS roster … Indians manager Terry Francona said there are “no restrictions” on Yan Gomes (thumb) heading into the ALDS … According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Eric Wedge, John McDonald, Stubby Clapp, David Bell, and Sandy Alomar Jr. are among the names under consideration for the Blue Jays' managerial vacancy … Pirates’ reliever Edgar Santana underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery on Thursday … Padres designated Jose Torres for assignment.

Buehler... Buehler .....Beuhler

Clayton Kershaw has long been viewed as the Dodgers’ ace, but Walker Buehler is doing his best to take that title from him sooner rather than later.

Buehler pitched the Dodgers into the NLDS with a masterful performance in Monday’s tiebreaker game against the Rockies, spinning 6 2/3 shutout innings as Los Angeles emerged victorious 5-2. The rookie right-hander carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished the day having allowed just a Charlie Blackmon single. He walked three, hit a batter and fanned three and even added an RBI single at the plate (his first career RBI).

Buehler didn’t make his season debut for the Dodgers until late April and wasn’t a fixture in their rotation until May, but he’s not only been their best pitcher down the stretch, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the game. In his final 12 regular season outings, Buehler posted a microscopic 1.55 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 87/23 K/BB ratio across 75 1/3 innings. He gave up more than two runs in just one of those starts, and that came at Coors Field.


The Dodgers got a pair of two-run home runs off of German Marquez, as Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy both took the righty deep. Bellinger’s bomb came in the bottom of the fourth inning after Marquez had struck out the first three batters of the frame, as he only got to bat because of a dropped third strike by catcher Tony Wolters (Marquez wound up fanning four in the inning).

It wasn’t all good for the Dodgers, as Kenley Jansen served up back-to-back solo home runs to Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story in the ninth inning before rebounding to close things out. He gave up over twice as many longballs this season (13) than he had in any other previous campaign.

Jansen has been his old dominant self at times this season, including in September after he returned from his heart issue, but he’s had many more slip-ups than we’re used to and needs to get locked back in when the Dodgers host the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS on Thursday. That said, the Dodgers still managed to take their sixth straight NL West title in spite of an up-and-down season that saw them nine games out of first place at one point. They’ll give Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu the ball in NLDS Games 1 and 2, respectively. Buehler is in line for Game 3 and Rich Hill is set up for a possible Game 4.

As for the Rockies, they hopped on a plane headed to Chicago after Monday’s setback and are set to take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday in the National League Wild Card Game. It will be Kyle Freeland versus Jon Lester and the winner will go up against the Brewers in the NLDS.

Chacin at work

Milwaukee Moves On

Entering Monday, the Brewers hadn’t had sole possession of first place in the National League Central since prior to the All-Star break. It took a Game 163, but they’re now back atop the division.

Behind a strong start by Jhoulys Chacin and their usual lock down bullpen work, the Brewers topped the Cubs 3-1 at Wrigley Field on Monday to break the tie and capture the NL Central crown. Chacin permitted just one hit – an Anthony Rizzo home run – over his 5 2/3 innings while walking two and striking out three. Joakim Soria, Corey Knebel and Josh Hader recorded the final 10 outs, with Hader dominating over the final two frames to notch the save.

While they managed just three runs on the day, the Brewers collected 12 hits off of Jose Quintana and the Cubs’ bullpen. Three of those base knocks came from Christian Yelich (who else?), who drove in the first run of the game with a single to notch his 110^th RBI. Lorenzo Cain broke the tie with an RBI single in the eighth and Ryan Braun tacked on an additional run that frame with another RBI single. The Brew Crew also got a 4-for-4 game out of the light-hitting Orlando Arcia.

(As an aside, Yelich fell two home runs and one RBI shy of his pursuit of the Triple Crown, but he easily paced the NL with his .326 average. Yep, he’s going to win NL MVP.)

The Cubs got a mammoth solo shot by Rizzo to lead off the bottom of the fifth and put two on in the sixth with two outs when the game was still tied, but Soria got Javier Baez to strike out to end that threat. A Baez single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth put Rizzo in the box as the tying run, but he flew out and the Brewers celebrated.

With the victory, the Brewers gain homefield advantage throughout the NL side of the playoff bracket. They will host the winner of Tuesday’s NL Wild Card Game between the Rockies and Cubs in Game 1 of the NLDS on Thursday. The Cubs, as mentioned above, will turn to Jon Lester on Tuesday, and the Rockies will counter with Kyle Freeland.


Quick Hits: Shohei Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery on Monday. The hope remains that he can be a full-time designated hitter for the Angels in 2019 before returning to pitching (and part-time DHing) in 2020 … Dansby Swanson (hand) is not expected to be on the Braves' NLDS roster. Charlie Culberson is in line to fill in for him at shortstop … Jeremy Jeffress was unavailable to pitch for the Brewers on Monday for undisclosed reasons, but he expected to be available for the NLDS … Salvador Perez will undergo ligament surgery on his left thumb on Tuesday. His rehab is not expected to affect his offseason conditioning … Cardinals general manager Michael Girsch said that the club has had "general conversations" about impending free agent Adam Wainwright possibly returning in 2019 … Joe Mauer said after Sunday's season finale that he hasn't decided whether he's ready to retire … Hunter Pence said after Sunday's season finale that he's not planning on retiring …