Cards Advance to the NLCS with a 3-2 Win Over the Dodgers

The LA Dodgers did all they could to even the NLDS series in St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon. They started arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Clayton Kershaw. They staked Kershaw to a 2 run lead in the 6th while Kershaw was holding the Cards on a 1 hit shutout.

In 2014, while posting a 21-3 record with a 1.77 ERA, Kershaw gave up only 1 home run to a left handed hitter. In this series he gave up 2 home runs in 2 games to lefties. Matt Carpenter connected in the first game and Matt Adams jacked a 3 run blast to right field in game 3.

Kershaw is now 1-5 with a 5.12 ERA in his 11 postseason appearances.

"The season ended and I was a big part of the reason why," Kershaw said. "I can't really put it into words, Just bad deja vu all over again."

Enough about the Dodgers. The Cardinals won this NLDS series 3-1. This wasn't a fluke. The Cards will be in the NLCS for the 4th consecutive year. Their 9th NLCS in 15 years. They beat Kershaw twice while holding the Dodgers to 15 runs in 4 games. 

The Cardinals hit 7 home runs in this series, the most postseason home runs by a team that hit the fewest HRs in their league that year.

Box scores usually do not tell the complete story of the game but this one tells of the clutch hitting in the bottom of the 7th. The Cards had 4 hits all night. Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta singled to lead off the 7th for two of those.

Matt Adams hit an 0-1 curve ball into the Cardinals bullpen for the 3 run homer, Kershaw's first 3 run home run allowed since June of 2012, a span of 86 starts.

"I don't think I touched the ground the whole way around the bases," Adams said. "Definitely the highlight of my career. ... I will never, ever forget this."

Timely hitting by the Cards is evident when one sees that the Redbirds outscored the Dodgers 15-4 in the 7th through the 9th innings.

The Cardinals will face the Giants in St. Louis beginning on Saturday the 11th of October after the Giants defeated the Washington Nationals 3 games to 2 in the other NLDS Series.

Cards Take 2-1 in NLDS Series Over Dodgers

John Lackey pitched masterfully and home runs by Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong powered the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory in game three of the NLDS.

Matt Carpenter became the first player in MLB Playoff history to have a home run and a double in three consecutive playoff games.

Carpenter hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd to give Lackey the lead.

In the top of the 6th, Yasiel Puig tripled. Puig had struck out in his previous 7 at bats. Nanley Rameriz then doubled to score Puig with the tying run.

Kolten Wong stepped to the plate with Ydier Molina on second and drove a ball over the right center field wall off of reliever Scott Elbert to push the lead to 3-1.

Read the ESPN story here

Nationals Avoid Sweep Take 3rd game 4-1 over Giants

Madison Bumgarner made one mistake in last night's game. It wasn't a pitching mistake, it was a throwing error. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Wilson Ramos laid down a sacrifice bunt between the mound and first base. Bumgarner fielded the ball and threw wide to third trying to get the lead runner. Two runs scored on the error and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with an RBI single that scored Ramos to make the score 3-0 Nationals.

Bryce Harper added a solo home run in the top of the ninth for a 4-0 Nationals lead.

Brandon Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Pablo Sandoval with the lone Giant run in the bottom of the 9th.

Read the ESPN story here.

Mattingly to Start Kershaw in Game 4 of NLDS on Three Days Rest

The LA Dodgers are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals at one game apiece in the NLDS series between the two teams.

Don Mattingly has said before Game 3 that Clayton Kershaw would start game 4 of the series on a short three days rest.

When asked why, Mattingly replied,   "He's our best guy," 

You can't argue with locic that simple But I would have waited to see the outcome of tonight's game before i made that decision. Maybe it's because I'm not the manager that I can be so sure of myself. And, if the Dodgers lose tonight then the decision won't warrant a second guess, but, how does this affect the rotation if the Dodgers need 5 games to put away the Cards?

Mark Saxon has a real good story here 


 

Giants/Washington game 3 Preview

Jayson Stark has a good article explaining why the Nationals will lose the crucial third game of the NLDS series.

My prediction is that Washington wins game 3 but loses the series.

Read Jaysons ESPN article here

Dodgers Even Series With Cardinals After 3-2 Win on Saturday

Zack Greinke, for the Dodgers, and Lance Lynn, for the Cards, pitched extremely well in the second game of the NLDS series between the two teams. Greinke gave up 2 hits, both doubles, in his 7 inning stint. Lynn, although giving up 7 hits, held the Dodgers to just 2 runs and kept the Cardinals in the game for 6 innings.

J.P. Howell relieved Greinke to start the top of the 8th. Dodger manager, Don Mattingly, had the game set up the way he wanted it. Howell, a lefty, would face three left handed batters in pinch hitter Oscar Taveras, Matt Carpenter and Jon Jay.

Taveras singled singled on an 0-2 count. Matt Carpenter jumped on the first pitch he saw from Howell and drove it 400' over the right center field wall for a 2 run home run. Zack Greinke had thrown 105 pitches in his 7 inning shutout performance and the Cardinals tied the game on 4 pitches from Howell.

The Dodgers scored their two runs in the bottom of the third. AJ Ellis led off the inning with a double to right center. Greinke followed with a single to right and LA had runners at the corners with no outs.

Dee Gordon hit a slow roller to second. Greinke hesitated just long enough that the Cardinal 2nd baseman, Kolten Wong, in his haste to get the speedy Gordon at first, tagged Greinke with the glove only and threw to first to complete what appeared to be a double play. Ellis would score on the play.

Don Mattingly challenged the play noting that Wong did not have the ball in the glove when he applied the tag. Mattingly won the challenge and Greinke was awarded 2nd base and the double play was just a 4-3 ground out.

Two batters later, Adrian Gonzalez singled to right to score Greinke for the 2-0 Dodger lead.

Carpenter's home run in the top of the 8th, silenced the 54,000+ Dodger fans who had been very loud throughout the game. The crowd wasn't silent too long as Matt Kemp, leading off the bottom of the 8th, sent a 2-1 slider from reliever Pat Neshek into the bleachers in left to regain the lead for the Dodgers.

Kenley Jensen set the Cardinals down in order in the top of the 9th to preserve the win for Brandon League while Neshek took the loss for the Redbirds.

With the series tied at one game apiece, the teams head to St. Louis to continue the NLDS on Monday the 6th of October.

Giants Beat Nationals 2-1 in 18 Innings

The San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals played an 18 inning game last night that lasted for 6 hours and 23 minutes. It was the longest game in MLB Playoff history by time and tied the record for the longest game by innings played.

The Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves played an 18 inning affair in the 2005 NLDS that the Astros would win 5-4 on a walkoff home run by Chris Burke. Roger Clemens picked up the win in relief in that game.

Tim Hudson started both of those games, for the Braves in 2005 and for the Giants in 2014. Adam LaRoche, of the Nationals played first base in both of those games.

Wilson Ramos, Nationals, and Buster Posey, Giants, each caught the entire 18 inning game. Tanner Roark, losing pitcher for the Nationals, was 27 when he gave up the home run to Brandon Belt in the top of the 18th but turned 28 before the Nationals would lose the game.

The Nationals 3 through 6 hitters, Jason Werth, Adam Laroche, Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper were 2 for 28 with 9 Ks. The Giants 3 through 6 hitters, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt were 7 for 27 with 2 RBIs and 7 Ks.

Read the full ESPN story here

Can Anyone Second Guess Mattingly's Decision to Keep Kershaw in Game 1

For 162 games each manager in the Big Leagues is questioned about a decision that was made. Sometimes those decisions work and sometimes they don't. If the Dodgers should lose this NLDS series to the Cards, Don Mattingly will be second guessed all winter.

It was hot, Kershaw had thrown 80+ pitches and yet Mattingly stayed with him. If it works no one thinks anything of it because Kershaw is a monster pitcher, probably the Cy Young winner in the NL this year and maybe even the Most Valuable Player.

If it doesn't work, as it didn't in Game 1, there will be nay sayers and second guessers galore.

I've linked a sports blog called SweetSpot by ESPN  senior writer David Schoenfield where the situation is explored from all sides. I'm not sure I like his title for the piece but that's just me.

Here is the SweetSpot blog link