Game one

World Series Game 1 went to the Dodgers.

Clayton Kershaw was at his best, needing only 83 pitches to deliver seven innings of one-run ball. He struck out 11, issued zero walks, and limited a very dangerous Astros lineup to just three hits as Los Angeles earned a fast-paced 3-1 victory Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Only one other pitcher in baseball history has tallied 11 strikeouts and surrendered zero free passes in a World Series start. That was Don Newcombe of the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Chris Taylor and Justin Turner, the co-MVPs of the National League Championship Series, led the way offensively in this one for L.A. Taylor kicked off the bottom of the first inning with a no-doubter off Astros starter Dallas Keuchel that sailed 447 feet, landing near the top of the left-field bleachers. Taylor then drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a two-run homer by Turner that creeped just over the wall in left.

The only run of the night for Houston came on a solo shot by Alex Bregman in the top of the fourth. Astros leadoff man George Springer finished 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. Jose Altuve was 1-for-4 with a seventh-inning single. Carlos Correa, Yulieski Gurriel, Brian McCann, and Marwin Gonzalez -- the Astros’ No. 4-7 hitters -- combined to go 0-for-12.

Justin Verlander will be on the mound for Houston in Game 2 on Wednesday night in L.A.

It’ll be Rich Hill for the Dodgers, who hold a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven Fall Classic. Hill will be difficult to defeat in Game 2. 

Quick Hits: According to Marc Carig of Newsday, it's "almost certain" that the Mets will exercise Asdrubal Cabrera's $8.25 million club option for 2018 foolish thoughts … Curtis Granderson was held off the Dodgers’ roster for the World Series after going 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts in the NLDS and NLCS … Brandon McCarthy, who hasn’t pitched since October 1, is on the Dodgers’ roster for the World Series as a long reliever … Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo suggested Tuesday that Hunter Dozier could play first base for the team in 2018 … Rays hired Matt Quatraro as their new third base coach.

And now a poem by Douglas Hall

Baseball is grass, chalk, and dirt displayed the same yet differently
In every park that has ever heard the words play ball.
Baseball is a passion that bonds and divides all those who know it.
Baseball is a pair of hands stained with newsprint,
A set of eyes squinting to read a box score,
A brow creased in an attempt to recreate a three-hour game
From an inch square block of type.
Baseball is the hat I wear to mow the lawn.
Baseball is a simple game of catch
and the never-ending search for the perfect knuckle ball.
Baseball is Willie vs Mickey, Gibson vs Koufax, and Buddy Biancalana vs the odds.
Baseball links Kansan and Missourian, American and Japanese,
But most of all father and son.
Baseball is the scent of spring,
The unmistakable sound of a double down the line,
And the face of a 10-year-old emerging from a pile of bodies
With a worthless yet priceless foul ball.
Baseball is a language of very simple words that tell unbelievably magic tales.
Baseball is three brothers in the same uniform on the same team for one brief summer
Captured forever in a black and white photo on a table by the couch.
Baseball is a glove on a shelf, oiled and tightly wrapped,
Slumbering through the stark winter months.
Baseball is a breast pocket bulging with a transistor radio.
Baseball is the reason there are transistor radios.
Baseball is a voice in a box describing men you've never met,
In a place you've never been,
Doing things you'll never have the chance to do.
Baseball is a dream that you never really give up on.
Baseball is precious.
Baseball is timeless.
Baseball is forever.

Orioles wings clipped

Baltimore Orioles

2017 Record: 75-87

Fifth Place: AL East

Team ERA: 4.97 (27th)

Team OPS: .747 (19th)

What Went Right
A lot of things went right on the offensive side of the ledger for the Orioles during their disappointing 2017 season. Trey Mancini burst onto the scene, slashing .293/.338/.488 with 24 homers and 78 RBI in 147 games. Tim Beckham showed off his tremendous promise after being acquired from the Rays, hitting .306 with 10 homers in just 216 at-bats. Jonathan Schoop took another step forward, belting a career-best 32 home runs while crossing the 100-RBI plateau for the first time in his career. Welington Castillo performed as one of the top offensive catchers in all of baseball, hitting .282 with 20 long balls. Adam Jones had another solid all-around season, posting his highest batting average (.285) since the 2013 season. Brad Brach pitched relatively well and racked up 18 saves in the absence of the injured Zach Britton. Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman had disappointing seasons on the whole, but at least showed signs of life and should be valuable contributors in 2018.

What Went Wrong

Pitching. The Orioles didn’t do it well. Especially in the starting rotation. O’s starters as a group compiled a 5.70 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, both marks the absolute worst in all of baseball. Chris Tillman, who entered the season as the de facto ace of the O’s staff, registered a cringe-inducing 7.84 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in 93 innings. Ubaldo Jimenez posted a 6.81 ERA. Wade Miley registered a 5.61 ERA and 1.73 WHIP while losing 15 ballgames. Jeremy Hellickson was acquired in a deadline deal to bolster the rotation and he posted a 6.97 ERA over 10 starts. Zach Britton was limited to just 37 ⅓ innings due to injury, and wasn’t his usual dominant self when on the hill, registering a highly disappointing 1.53 WHIP. Chris Davis continued his free-swinging ways, whiffing 195 times in only 128 games while hitting just .215. Hyun-Soo Kim struggled mightily in 125 at-bats before being shipped to the Phillies. Mark Trumbo managed to club 23 homers, but did so while posting a minuscule .289 on-base percentage.

Fantasy Slants

** Manny Machado actually had a disappointing season from a fantasy perspective, relative to his draft day cost, but it was more being the victim of poor batted ball luck in the first half of the season. After hitting just .230/.296/.445 in the first half, Machado finished strong with a .290/.326/.500 line after the Mid-Summer Classic. He also got back to running, at least on a limited basis, swiping nine bases after being held without a successful steal in 2016. Unfortunately, he played all of his games at third base in 2017 and won’t retain his coveted shortstop eligibility heading into next season.

** It’s hard to know exactly what to make of Kevin Gausman, and it’s likely that opinions on him will vary wildly at the draft table. The 26-year-old right-hander was expected to take a step forward, perhaps assuming the mantle as the ace of the Orioles’ rotation in 2017. Instead, he stumbled to a miserable 6.39 ERA and 1.79 WHIP over 100 innings in his first 20 starts before rebounding to post a 2.70 WHIP, 1.15 WHIP and 91/27 K/BB ratio over 86 ⅔ innings in his final 14 starts.

** The health of Zach Britton was a major storyline for the Orioles in 2017 and question marks will continue to arise around him heading into next season. The normally dominant 29-year-old southpaw wasn’t sharp when he was able to take the mound, registering a very concerning 1.53 WHIP in his 37 ⅓ frames. Britton was shut down in mid-September due to continued knee soreness. When he’s healthy and on his game, he’s among the top closers in the league. His draft price should be very volatile in early drafts, at least until he has a chance to prove his health during spring training.

** Chris Davis continues to be a legitimate source of power, but with the upward trajectory of all home run totals in the league these days, those dingers just aren’t as valuable on their own. When his homers come with a .215 batting average, .310 OBP and no speed at all, it makes him a far less valuable fantasy commodity heading into 2018.

** One guy who is likely to have helium in his draft stock heading into 2018 is Jonathan Schoop. The 26-year-old blasted 32 homers and drove in 105 runs in 2017, both career highs for him. He also scored 92 runs, cementing himself in the middle of the O’s lineup in the process. While he doesn’t run, he offers strong four-category production from a surprisingly weak second base position overall.

Key Free Agents: Welington Castillo ($7 million player option), J.J. Hardy ($14 million club option, $2 million buyout), Jeremy Hellickson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wade Miley ($12 million club option, $500,000 buyout), Seth Smith, Chris Tillman

Team Needs:

The Orioles were supposed to be a team that competed for a playoff spot and wound up finishing in the cellar in the American League East. They’ll certainly look like a different team in 2018, with Hellickson, Jimenez, Smith and Tillman likely to depart, and the O’s should also decline the options on Hardy and Miley. Rather than search on the free agent market for a new shortstop, it seems that Tim Beckham has staked his claim to that job already. Their top priority should be to sign franchise star Manny Machado to a long-term contract extension, as he’s entering his final season of arbitration. If they are unable to reach an agreement, the O’s will face a difficult decision on whether or not to trade away the face of their franchise. More importantly, the Orioles need starting pitching in the worst possible way. They’ll certainly have Bundy and Gausman in the rotation to start the season, but outside of those two, there are three spots that need to be filled either internally or from the open market. How they do on that front will go a long way to determining how competitive they’ll be as a club in 2018.

World Serious

The Dodgers were forced to battle the Cubs in the NLCS without one of their top players and team leaders.

It doesn’t look like they’ll face that same disadvantage against the Astros in the World Series.

Corey Seager (back) was a full participant in the Dodgers’ team workout on Sunday. He has made significant progress in his recovery from a lower back sprain that he sustained while sliding back into second base in the Dodgers’ clinching victory over the Diamondbacks back on October 9.

Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that he was confident that Seager will be on the club’s World Series roster.

While it sounds like he’s a lock to be on the roster, his availability for Game 1 on Tuesday appears to still be up in the air. Seager is scheduled to participate in a simulated game on Monday. If all goes well there, expect the 23-year-old phenom to suit up and start at shortstop when the Fall Classic begins on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

 

Mr. Met

Hot managerial commodities have been snatched up very quickly this off-season, with the Tigers announcing the hiring of Ron Gardenhire on Friday and the Red Sox officially naming Alex Cora as the successor to John Farrell on Saturday.

On Sunday, it was the Mets’ who reportedly got in on the fun. While the team has yet to confirm the hire, multiple sources have reported that it will be Indians’ pitching coach Mickey Callaway who will become the 22nd manager in franchise history.

The two sides were ironing out the full details of what’s believed will be a three-year pact. The club is expected to make a formal announcement at a press conference on Monday.

The 42-year-old has spent the past five seasons as the Tribe’s pitching coach, leading a talented staff that has led the major leagues in strikeouts each of the past four seasons. In 2017, the Indians led the league with a 3.30 team ERA and 1614 strikeouts.

Callaway has been instrumental in the development of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and a host of other hurlers during his tenure with the team.

The prevailing wisdom had been that the best candidate to lead the Mets would have a strong pitching background, given that the team is built around the dearth of young talent in their starting rotation.

With Callaway bolting to take the manager’s job in New York, it leaves a pretty big hole to fill as the pitching coach on Terry Francona’s staff in Cleveland. Robert Murray of FanRag Sports reports that former A’s pitching coach Curt Young could be a candidate for the position. There have also been rumblings that former Red Sox manager John Farrell could be an option.

If it ain’t broke...

Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts officially named the order in which he’ll deploy his starting pitchers in the World Series, and he’ll follow the same blueprint that worked so well against the Cubs in the NLCS.

It had already been a foregone conclusion that ace Clayton Kershaw would get the ball for Game 1 against the Astros on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. It will be the first World Series appearance for the 29-year-old star southpaw.

Kershaw pitched well against the Cubs in the NLCS, posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 9/2 K/BB ratio across 11 innings in his two starts.

Kershaw will be followed by 37-year-old left-hander Rich Hill. After that, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood are slotted to take Game 3 and Game 4 as the series shifts back to Los Angeles next weekend.

Dallas Keuchel will oppose Kershaw in Game 1 of the Series on Tuesday while Justin Verlander will do battle against Rich Hill and the Dodgers in Game 2. The Astros have yet to announce their starters for Game 3 or 4.

Quick Hits: Justin Turner sat out Sunday’s team workout after getting “banged up” during the NLCS, though he’s fully expected to be in the lineup for Game 1 on Tuesday… Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts hinted that Charlie Culberson could remain on the club’s roster for the World Series even with Corey Seager expected to return… Todd Frazier said after Saturday’s loss to the Astros that he would love to return to the Yankees in 2018… Veteran left-hander CC Sabathia echoed a similar sentiment when asked after Saturday’s game… Former Rays’ pitching coach Jim Hickey is scheduled to interview with the Cubs for the same position on Monday. He’s the top pitching coach available on the open market and has drawn considerable interest from around the league… When the World Series begins on Tuesday, it’ll mark the first time since 1970 that two teams that won 100 or more games during the regular season will have met at the Fall Classic.

Astros in Orbit

The GIF made its way around Twitter late Saturday, a short clip of Astros catcher Brian McCann squatting stoically, shifting his eyes around to make sure nobody was watching before quickly and subtly nodding to Lance McCullers on the mound.

No signal was needed, because McCullers had thrown a curveball the previous 13 pitches already. One more curveball, and if that hadn't done the trick, then another.

It did the trick, though, as did the next 14; Yankees slugger Aaron Judge struck out to end the eighth inning, and Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez struck out leading off the ninth. It didn't matter that they knew what was coming. They didn't have an answer.

It was a theme on this night, as the Yankees had few answers, offensively or defensively, for the Astros, who advanced to the World Series with a 4-0 win in Saturday's Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The Yankees could muster just three hits on the evening, striking out 11 times against McCullers and starter Charlie Morton.

Yankees starter CC Sabathia, who had quieted the Astros' bats in Game 3, had less success Saturday, allowing just one run but working into and out of trouble for most of his night. The Astros put eight men on base during his 3 1/3 innings of work, and Evan Gattis' solo homer in the fourth inning proved to be the difference.

It could have been more, sooner if not for Judge, who along with setting a record for strikeouts in a single postseason, robbed Yuli Gurriel of a would-be home run in the second inning to keep it a scoreless game. When McCullers fanned Judge in the eighth, it was Judge's 27th strikeout in 13 games this postseason.

Morton started the game and exorcised some demons after finishing on the wrong side of Sabathia's Game 3 dominance. In his first appearance since allowing seven runs over 3 2/3 innings, Morton shoved, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five in his five innings of work.

Jose Altuve added to the lead with an opposite-field, solo homer in the fifth inning, and the Astros would tack on two more with a Brian McCann two-run double later in the frame.

Then it was time for McCullers, who cut through the Yankees lineup with ease for four innings. When Greg Bird hit a harmless fly ball to center field with two outs in the ninth, McCullers raised his arms in celebration and was greeted at the mound by McCann.

So it will be the Dodgers and Astros in the World Series, which begins Tuesday in Los Angeles. One team will break a decades-long championship drought, with the Astros having never won the trophy since their inception in 1962, and the Dodgers not having won since 1988.

We'll see you there.

Editor’s Note: FanDuel is hosting the Rotoworld Beat the Writers Series, where you can play against five Rotoworld football writers for your chance at cash prizes and free entry into their Sunday Million. Put your knowledge to the test!

Seager (Back) Hopeful For Game 1

Corey Seager won't take no for an answer.

“We certainly optimistic,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday of Seager's availability for Game 1 of the World Series. “Corey really doesn’t want to be denied.”

Seager was left off the Dodgers' roster for their National League Championship Series against the Cubs, but the shortstop has been progressing in his rehabilitation from a lower back sprain suffered October 9 and could be ready in time for the start of next week's series. Seager injured the back sliding into second base in the series-clinching game of the Dodgers' Division Series against the Diamondbacks.

He was given an epidural the following day, but his outlook was such that the Dodgers made the tough decision to leave the All-Star off their 25-man roster for the ensuing series. Charlie Culberson was added in his place and filled in at shortstop in Seager's absence.

In recent days, the 23-year-old has been hitting off a tee and running on the infield. The next, and possibly final, step in his recovery will be facing live hitting in a simulated game scenario.

“To simulate that game speed, against an actual live pitcher, will be telling,” Roberts said.

The Series starts Tuesday in Los Angeles, so Seager has a few more days to test the ailing back. It's hard to imagine, though, that Seager won't be out there if at all possible.

“We’re just trying to get him as healthy as we can, and with the training staff, we’ll make that decision,” Roberts said. “But, yeah, if he can swing the bat and isn’t compromised physically, that makes sense.”

Red Sox, Cora Reportedly Reach Agreement

The Red Sox will have to wait a few more days to make it official, but indications Saturday were that they've identified their next manager.

Astros bench coach Alex Cora, who remains with the team as they head on to face the Dodgers in the World Series, has agreed to become the next manager of the Sox, according to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The deal is a three-year agreement, per Rosenthal.

Cora, who has been mentioned for managerial openings in recent years, was the hot name on this year's market. All five teams with openings -- the Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Mets and even the Nationals, who entered the game late -- were linked to Cora, and he interviewed with the Sox and Mets this past week.

The Tigers got their guy in Ron Gardenhire, and the Nationals joined the search after letting Dusty Baker go last week. Some have speculated the Yankees may also be in need of a new manager in the coming days after Saturday night's Game 7 loss to the Astros. Stay tuned.

Quick Hits: Justin Verlander, who dominated the Yankees in his two ALCS starts, was named the series MVP after Saturday's game. Verlander allowed one run in 16 innings of work and struck out 22 in that span ... outside of the baseball being played, some of the biggest news from Saturday came in the way of pitching coach changes. It came out that the Giants will not bring back pitching coach Dave Righetti in 2018, and Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio was let go as well. Righetti has been in the Giants' organization for the last 17 seasons. He'll be re-assigned to a role in the front office ... Players of even remote interest electing free agency in recent days: Kevin Quackenbush, Rymer Liriano, Drew Hutchison, Rob Brantly, Ruben Tejada, Christian Bergman, Conor Gillaspie, Pedro Beato and Tyler Moore, among many others.

Rays season in review

Tampa Bay Rays

 2017 Record: 80-82

3rd Place, AL East

Team ERA: 3.97 (8tth)

Team OPS: .739 (25th)

What Went Right

Despite posting a losing record and an ERA over 4, Chris Archer bounced back nicely from his relatively disappointing 2016 campaign. He posted an 11.15 strikeouts-per-nine innings ratio, and his FIP (3.40) told a much more accurate story on how well he pitched in 2017. Alex Colome became the first ever Tampa Bay pitcher to lead the majors in saves (47), and outside of a few hiccups was mostly a well above-average closer. Logan Morrison had easily his best power production of his career, swatting 38 homers and knocking in 85 while posting the highest on-base percentage of his career as well at .353. Stephen Sousa put up similar numbers in terms of homers -- a career-high 30 -- but he also contributed 16 stolen bases. Kevin Kiermaier had his best offensive season, hitting a career high .278 with 16 homers and 16 steals.

What Went Wrong

Evan Longoria had the second-worst season of his career in 2017, posting just a .737 OPS with 20 homers in 156 games. Brad Miller was awful, striking out 110 times in 110 games and hitting a paltry .201 for the Rays. Jake Odorizzi posted a not-reprehensible 4.14 ERA, but he threw just 143 innings in 28 starts, and he needed a 1.03 ERA in September to get said ERA to that level. Wilson Ramos was limited to just 64 games due to his leg injury, and he was only able to post a .290 on-base percentage when he was healthy enough to play. Colby Rasmus was limited to just 37 games, and was placed on the restricted-list in mid-June.

Fantasy Slants

** The biggest fantasy question for the Rays is arguably the biggest question mark for Tampa Bay in “real life:” Is Archer going to be a member of Tampa Bay’s rotation in 2018? The pitching market is extremely weak in terms of free agency, and contending teams will assuredly be pestering the Tampa Bay front-office to see what it would take to get the talented hurler out of Florida.

** Evan Longoria was fantastic in 2016, and average -- at best -- in 2017. Which is the real version? The lifetime Ray just turned 32, so there should be a few more quality seasons in the right-handed hitter’s bat. Having said that, with how much he struggled toward the end of the year, it’s tough to consider him an elite option at the hot-corner in fantasy circles right now.

** The Rays have plenty of talented -- if volatile -- young pitching talent at the big-league level. They also have one of the most talented pitching prospects in Brent Honeywell. This is a right-hander who can miss bats with three pitches, and he throws those pitches for strikes with an ability to locate it as well. Some expected Honeywell to come up in 2017, but there’s no doubt that he’ll be a part of the Tampa Bay rotation in the coming season. He’s a Rookie Of The Year candidate if he gets enough time. The Rays also have one of the best shortstop prospects in the American League in Willy Adames, and he should spend most of his 2018 season with the Rays as well.

 ** How much better can Blake Snell be? There's no question that Snell has the talent to be a successful starter; that's evident in his 119 strikeouts in just over 129 innings. He also has a ton of volatility because of his struggles with command, which is also shown in his 59 walks in that same time frame. If Snell reaches his full potential he's a potential top-of-the-rotation option, and considering he's still just 24-years-old, it's not unreasonable to expect the command to come. We've certainly seen it happen before. It's just awfully risky -- but potentially rewarding -- to trust it in 2018.

** Morrison’s .868 OPS was over a hundred points higher than his career’s (.763), and the 38 homers were 15 higher than his previous high of 23 in 2011. He’s also going to turn 31 in August, so this isn’t a case of a young prospect bursting out for a career season. Long story short, there’s a lot more risk in trusting Morrison to do what he did in 2017 than there is reward. This could be the type of player you look to sell high on if you’re playing in dynasty leagues.

Key Free Agents: Alex Cobb, Lucas Duda, Steve Cishek, Tommy Hunter

Team Needs: It’s unlikely Tampa Bay will spend big this offseason, but the Rays could use another bat in the infield, a couple of relievers to replace the likely departing Cishek and Hunter, and perhaps a starting pitcher if the Rays don’t feel comfortable in giving Honeywell an immediate spot in the rotation, or if they were to move Archer at some point this winter. Tampa also might look for a stop-gap at shortstop until Adames is ready. They'll also be looking for an answer at catcher. Again. Outside of the potential move of Archer, it would be an upset if this team's core looked much different than it did in 2017. 

Dodgers punch their ticket to the World Series

The Dodgers are World Series-bound for the first time since 1988. Enrique Hernandez enjoyed a historic night with three homers and seven RBI while Clayton Kershaw tossed six innings of one-run ball as the Dodgers finished off the Cubs with an 11-1 blowout victory in Game 5 of the NLCS on Thursday.

There wasn’t much drama with this one, as the Dodgers pulled away with nine runs through the first four innings. An unlikely hero, Hernandez connected for a solo shot against Jose Quintana in the second inning before blowing the game wide open with a grand slam off Hector Rondon in the third. The Puerto Rico native put the cherry on top with a two-run blast off Mike Montgomery in the ninth.

Hernandez is the 10th player in postseason history to hit three homers in a game. He’s the first ever to do it with the Dodgers. His seven RBI ties him for the MLB postseason single-game record.

Kershaw cruised with the big lead, giving up one run on three hits and one walk with five strikeouts. The only damage was a solo homer from Kris Bryant in the fourth inning. Kershaw is now lined up to pitch on regular rest when the Dodgers host Game 1 of the World Series next Tuesday.

Chris Taylor and Justin Turner were named co-MVPs for the NLCS. An unexpected breakout performer in 2017, Taylor kept it going in the NLCS by batting .316 (6-for-19) with two homers, three RBI, five walks, and five runs scored. Turner hit .333 (6-for-18) with two homers, seven RBI, five walks, and three runs scored in the series.

While the Dodgers have punched their ticket to the World Series, their opponent hasn’t been decided just yet. The Yankees lead the Astros 3-2 in the ALCS going into Game 6 on Friday night in Houston.

Brantley Undergoes Surgery

More bad health news for Indians outfielder Michael Brantley, as the team announced Thursday that he underwent surgery to stabilize ligaments in his right ankle. He’s expected to need 4-5 months before resuming baseball activities, which puts his status for the start of 2018 in question.

Brantley was limited to just 24 games during the second half with a right ankle sprain, but he returned during the final weekend of the regular season before being included on the ALDS roster. He went 1-for-11 with a walk and four strikeouts in the series against the Yankees, mostly serving as the designated hitter. Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told the media on Thursday that surgery was always possible for Brantley, but that he wasn’t at risk of further injuring the ankle by returning for the postseason.

Injuries are nothing new for Brantley, who hurt his shoulder late in 2015 and ended up requiring multiple procedures. After appearing in just 11 games in 2016, he batted .299/.357/.444 with nine homers, 52 RBI, and 11 steals over 90 games this season. Given his continued health issues and the general uncertainty surrounding his status for next spring, the Indians have an interesting decision to make regarding his $12 million club option for 2018. The option can be bought out for $1 million. The Indians have until three days after the World Series to decide.

Quick Hits: Katie Strang and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report that the Tigers have selected former Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire to be their next manager. Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Network hears that Gardenhire will receive a three-year deal…. Ryan Braun said during a radio appearance with WTMJ-AM this week that he’s open to playing first base in the future and likely wouldn’t accept a trade to any team other than the Dodgers … Hyun Soo Kim told Yonhap News Agency in Japan that he is hoping to play for a major league team in 2018 … Shawn Kelley (elbow) said Thursday that he expects to be ready for the start of the 2018 season

LA state of mind

L.A. is one win away. One win away from sweeping the Cubs in the National League Championship Series. One win away from the organization’s first World Series appearance since 1988.

Yu Darvish led the charge for the Dodgers in NLCS Game 3 on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, hurling 6 1/3 innings of one-run, seven-strikeout ball in an easy 6-1 victory for the visiting team. Darvish needed just 81 pitches to record 19 outs. He pitched so effectively that manager Dave Roberts let the longtime American Leaguer hit for himself with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth -- a decision that would be worthy of this column’s full focus had things gone even a little differently. Darvish faked bunt throughout the plate appearance and drew a four-pitch walk off Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr., earning his first career postseason RBI. He can claim only one career RBI during the regular season.

Darvish, the Dodgers’ big trade-deadline acquisition from the Rangers, now boasts a 1.59 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 14/1 K/BB ratio through 11 1/3 innings (two starts) in this 2017 postseason.

Chris Taylor brought the big wood for the Dodgers in Tuesday’s victory, slugging a go-ahead solo homer to center field in the top of the third inning and an RBI triple in the top of the fifth. Acquired from the Mariners in June 2016 for former pitching prospect Zach Lee, the versatile Taylor holds a 1.019 OPS with two home runs, four RBI, and six runs scored through six playoff games. He’s hit leadoff in all six of those games -- all of them victories for Los Angeles -- while bringing steady defense to both shortstop and center field.

One win away. One win away from the Fall Classic. Alex Wood matches up with Jake Arrieta in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night in Chicago.

And In Earlier Action ...

The best-of-seven American League Championship Series is all tied up at 2-2.

Houston seemed to have Game 4 in the bag, with Lance McCullers yielding just one hit over six scoreless frames to begin the evening, but Aaron Judge launched a towering solo shot to center field to open the bottom of the seventh and drive McCullers from the contest. New York then teed off on the Astros’ bullpen, plating one more run in the seventh and four in the eighth to secure a monumental 6-4 comeback victory in the Bronx.

Judge’s seventh-inning home run had an exit velocity of 111.6 mph, making it the hardest-hit homer of this 2017 postseason. He also hit an RBI double off a fan’s hand in left field in the Yankees’ four-run eighth inning, finishing the night 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Including his three-run shot from ALCS Game 3, the 25-year-old rookie slugger now boasts an .820 OPS with three home runs and nine RBI in 10 games this postseason. So much for his October struggles. So much for the big stage being too big.

Yulieski Gurriel was the only real offensive standout for the Astros in this one. He hit a bases-loaded three-run double in the top of the sixth but was thrown out trying to advance to third base and the Cuban slugger ended the game 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Houston was held to just three total hits, with Yankees starter Sonny Gray yielding only one hit over his five-plus innings and the Yankees’ bullpen again looking stingy. Aroldis Chapman closed it out with a dominant top of the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a 10-pitch frame.

Masahiro Tanaka will take on Dallas Keuchel in ALCS Game 5 on Wednesday in New York.

Quick Hits: Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes that the Nationals and manager Dusty Baker "had worked toward an extension" at midseason before "negotiations sputtered” … Corey Seager (back) worked out in the weight room on Tuesday and is hoping to rejoin the Dodgers if they can advance to the World Series … Dustin Pedroia will decide within the next few days whether or not to undergo surgery on his ailing left knee … The Rangers have informed Mike Napoli that they will not exercise his $11 million club option for 2018 … Hanley Ramirez is expected to be ready for the start of next season after undergoing a left shoulder arthroscopy and debridement Tuesday … Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez won't return to pitching for approximately six months after having a right knee patellofemoral ligament reconstruction on Tuesday … Thomas Harding of MLB.com writes that the Rockies are "expected" to pursue a reunion with impending free agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy.