Happy, American League Division Series day, y’all. For National League fans, your day is Friday, when we have a slate of four — four! — postseason games, but Thursday is all about the AL. At 4 p.m. ET, we kick things off with the Red Sox facing the Astros in Houston, while the AL Wild Card game-winning Yankees are headed to Cleveland to face the AL-best Indians at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Welcome to the 2017 ALDS
Thursday’s Say Hey, Baseball looks at the start of the two American League Division Series.
Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images
The Red Sox closed out their season against the Astros, and it did not go particularly well, with Boston dropping three of four. However, Houston lost the previous series against the Sox earlier in the year, so things weren’t quite that dire on the whole.
Last week’s wound is fresh, though, so expect to hear quite a bit about Houston’s handling of the Sox if they get out to an early lead on Thursday, especially since they’ll be taking on Boston ace Chris Sale. Thanks to a mid-season trade, Sale’s opponent in Game 1 is going to be Justin Verlander, who is a completely different pitcher (i.e. looks like the Verlander of old) in the second half once again.
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As for the Yankees, they won the AL Wild Card game because they were the better team, but here in the ALDS, they are not. Cleveland might be the best team in baseball, especially given the way the Dodgers played in September, and while the Yankees have plenty of promise and can certainly win a five-game series, they, like the Red Sox, are the clear underdogs here.
Cleveland is going with Trevor Bauer in Game 1 instead of the best pitcher and player on their team, Corey Kluber, a decision based on two things: Bauer has a 2.57 ERA over his last 70 innings and 12 games pitched, and has done this despite a hefty batting average on balls in play. Second, this sets up Kluber for three starts in the ALCS ... though, Cleveland has to get past the Yankees for that to happen first. It’s a gamble for sure, and one the Yankees can make the Indians pay for.
With that being said, it’s not like New York has their own Kluber to throw at Cleveland. Sonny Gray is a good number two, not an ace, and he takes the mound opposite Bauer in Game 1. So maybe it’s a bet worth taking.
- Your team is probably losing in the postseason. So sorry about that! Here’s why it will suck when your team loses, which again, they probably will.
- Archie Bradley, D-Backs’ reliever, hit a two-run triple against the Rockies. That’s the first triple hit by a reliever in the postseason ever, and because baseball is baseball, the only reason he was hitting is because Arizona wanted his arm for the next inning. Bradley, of course, then gave up two homers after only allowing four all season.
- Despite Bradley being too gassed to pitch effectively after his triple, the D-Backs hung on to win the NL Wild Card game and advanced to the NLDS.
- Here are three things that made the NL Wild Card game so much fun to watch.
- Ketel Marte tripled from both sides of the plate during the game, making him the first player to pull that feat off in the postseason.
- If you want to read the sprawling live blog for the NL Wild Card game, well, I appreciate your devotion to my writing. We’ll be doing those for every elimination game this postseason, so come join us in the moment next time!
- Dodgers’ Enrique Hernandez says President Donald Trump should “show some humanity” after his Puerto Rico visit (and he’s not wrong).
- After three years of managing the Rays with Joe Maddon’s coaches around, Tampa Bay is finally Kevin Cash’s team.
- MLB is still invesigating just how widespead the Braves’ international free agency transgressions were.
- Dayton Moore going back to Atlanta feels possible, but it’s going to come down to how much power he’d have in the organization.
- There is currently a power struggle in the Braves’ front office, with John Hart and John Schuerholz on opposing sides.
- The Texas Rangers officially released Prince Fielder, who has been retired due to injury.
- Meg Rowley is here to figure out a baseball mystery that I didn’t even know needed solving.
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