On the morning of Aug. 10, the Mariners were in sole possession of the second American League wild card. They had just split a four-game series with one of the chief competitors for that spot, the Royals, and then won two of three from Oakland to secure it for themselves.
The Angels swept the Mariners out of a wild card spot
Monday’s Say Hey, Baseball looks at a rough weekend for Seattle, Bryce Harper’s knee injury, and Derek Jeter’s potential first blow against fun.
Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Fast-forward to Monday morning, and things are a little different. Seattle is now two games back of the wild card after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Angels, who wrested that spot from the M’s in the process.
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It’s not a shocking turnaround, as we knew the Mariners had some real issues. No team has ever made the postseason with a rotation as bad as Seattle’s, and the team entered the series with the Angels with a wild card, but also with a negative run differential. The Mariners had been buoyed quite a bit by a 19-10 record in one-run games, though, and that’s not necessarily something they can rely on to keep them afloat forever. Ask the Rangers about that one.
Let’s not get to burying the Mariners just yet, though. It’s not like the Angels are a flawless team just now coming into their own. They’ve also been outscored on the season. The Halos are all of 61-58, and there are teams 2 1/2 games or fewer behind them in the wild card standings. The Angels have to play the Nationals now, while the Royals get to play the A’s — things could be different in a hurry in some way even if those two series don’t play out in the way implied here.
Then again, the Angels were without Mike Trout from the end of May until mid-July, and they didn’t completely crater. And since he’s returned, Trout has batted .347/.480/.602 with 11 extra-base hits in 27 games, with the Angels going 16-10 in that stretch. The last seven weeks of the season are going to be something, aren’t they?
- Rafael Devers hit a game-tying home run off of Aroldis Chapman on Sunday, and it is notable for more reasons than just that one. It was a 102.8 mph fastball, which makes it the fastest pitch to be homered on since MLB began tracking velocity back in 2008. It’s also just the second-ever homer off Chapman by a lefty.
- Pinstripe Alley feels Chapman has become a liability as the Yankees closer, and that was before he blew Sunday’s contest.
- Don’t worry, everyone: Bryce Harper’s injury is a bone bruise, and he’s expected to return in 2017.
- It was a rough 16 hours for Nats fans, though.
- Derek Jeter’s new Marlins ownership group might get rid of the Home Run Sculpture, which besides the Marlins outfielders is, like, the only good thing about them.
- Speaking of those outfielders, Giancarlo Stanton mashed career homer 250, which was also his 42nd of the season and 21st in 33 games. Also: That tied the Marlins’ single-season home run record with Gary Sheffield’s in 1996.
- Adrian Beltre, you scamp.
- Viva El Birdos reminds us that trade season isn’t over, and the Cardinals have a case for getting Justin Upton.
- The Astros should be buying and not just because August has been a disaster. But also that.
- You could argue that the Astros should hold onto the kids to guarantee additional opportunities at a ring, but baseball doesn’t always work that way.
- The text for the latest collective bargaining agreement was released last week, and Mary Craig dove in.
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