AL Playoff Race update from the off-day: Boston lost and Houston won, so they're 2 back with 3 games to go, so looking bleak for the Red Sox in other words. And the AL Central looks like this now with 3 games to go:
Minnesota is at Kansas City this weekend while Detroit plays the red-hot White Sox.
Game 1: Ronaldo Hernandez and Yusniel Diaz each went deep twice to lead the Rays to an 8-5 win over the Jays. Hernandez had a solo shot in the 4th off Chris Archer, a 3-run blast in the 5th off Archer as well, and had a bases-loaded walk in the 7th to cap a 5-RBI day. Diaz homered in the 2nd and preceded Ronaldo's HR in the 4th with one of his own. The two knocked in 7 of the Rays' 8 runs with Rylan Bannon getting the other on an infield single. Dustin May got the start and had a very rough first, giving up a leadoff shot to Cavan Biggio and allowing another run without getting an out as the next 3 batters singled. But he settled in after that, allowing only more run as he went 5.2 7 3 3 3 5 to go 4-1 as a Ray. Aaron Ashby looked really good, striking out the first three men he faced in a perfect 1 1/3 outing, Ty Buttrey didn't, giving up a 2-run HR to Ryan Noda, so with the lead cut to 8-5 Will Smith pitched the 9th and got save #39.
AL Playoff Update: Well all the suspense was leached out of the playoff race tonight as Minnesota beat Kansas City 6-4 and Detroit lost to the White Sox meaning the Twins are 2 up with 2 games left. It's possible the Royals win the last two to force a playoff but not quite the chaos we were hoping for. Meanwhile the Red Sox were bombed 10-4 at Fenway by Baltimore, effectively killing their playoff hopes. Houston needs only one win in the next 2 days or one Boston loss to clinch the second wild card.
Wander Franco contract extension? Wander Franco contract extension:
He was going to get paid this offseason in arbitration, so we've bought out the arb years and a year of free agency as well. He'll be a free agent at 26; if he keeps up this performance, he could be the first $50M player. I could have gone longer but I'm a bit wary of very long contracts and I could use a rebuilding challenge down the line.
Game 2: The Rays fell 7-3 to the Jays as the goal remains for nobody to get hurt. Meadows, Devers, Keibert and Brujan all sat today and Daniel Lynch got the start. Lynch was terrible again, and although he somehow managed to strike out Vlad Jr. twice he couldn't get anyone else out and had a hard time finding the plate, ending 2.2 5 7 7 6 4. He won't be on the playoff roster. Wander homered on the first pitch he saw to celebrate his extension, #36 on the season, and Alec Bohm hit #38. Yusniel Diaz is heating up again, which is good because he's starting at least the first 2 games of the ALDS in CF. He was 2-4 with an RBI for the other Rays run. Scott Barlow relieved Lynch and had perhaps his best Rays outing, going 3 1/3 with only 1 hit and 0 runs allowed although he still hasn't met an inherited runner he couldn't let score as his first pitch coming in was a wild one, allowing the 7th Jays run to cross the plate. Ty Buttrey and Aaron Ashby had perfect innings finishing out the game. The loss means they won't tie the MLB single-season wins record, either, but the real measure of success for this team will be starting in less than a week.
AL Playoff Race Update: Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in. KC bombed Minnesota 11-2 to pull back within a game, and Detroit won as well meaning we could have a 3-way tie if KC beats Minnesota and Detroit wins also tomorrow. Or Minnesota could win and that would be that. Houston clinched the second wild card when the Red Sox fell again at home to Baltimore, but suddenly the AL West title is very much in play as those same Astros beat LA. If Houston beats LA again and Seattle knocks off Oakland, the Angels and Mariners would also be tied for first place. The Astros have nothing to play for as they're locked into the #2 wild card, so I'm going to have to manage them tomorrow to make sure they don't use Forrest Whitley. Ditto for San Diego as they have Mackenzie Gore scheduled to pitch and he would be the WC starter.
Game 3: What have I kept saying about the goal being not to get anyone hurt? Chris Paddack started today and the plan was to get him through 5 innings and let De La Cruz, Anderson, Alvarado and Smith pitch an inning each to tune up for the playoffs. Well those plans went out the window when Paddack had to leave after the first inning with back spasms which will put him out a week. Fortunately, he wasn't going to be used until Game 3 which will either be a week from today or the day after. So Shane McClanahan came on and I was hoping to get 3-4 innings from him. He only made it 1 2/3 before he too had to leave with back spasms (maybe I should hire a team chiropractor), only a 3-day injury. This meant I had to turn to De La Cruz for some length and he went 2 1/3 scoreless throwing 47 pitches. A tired Ty Buttrey pitched a scoreless 6th, and Alvarado and Anderson made it unscathed through the 8th. Will Smith came on in a non-save situation in the ninth as the Rays were up 5-0 and did not do well at all, giving up 2 HRs for 3 runs, walking one and hitting a batter in 2/3 of an inning so he came out and a tired Scott Barlow actually got the last out with a strikeout for his 3rd Rays save in the 5-3 win. The offense came mostly via the longball: Triston Casas had a 2-run shot off Rick Porcello in the 2nd, his 13th in 141 AB, Keibert hit #23 in the 3rd and Seth Beer also hit #23 in the 5th. The fifth run came on a Yusniel Diaz triple and Trevor Larnach groundout. Yusniel stayed hot with a double to go with that triple and hopefully he can keep it going in the ALDS. I was hoping to get Paddack to 200 innings and 200 Ks, instead he ends with 197 of each. McClanahan got his 8th win in the 8-pitcher parade, and if the Rays needed a reminder that anything can happen in postseason Jordan Romano (who beat them twice in last year's ALDS) came on in relief and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Final Regular Season Record: 115-47. Not too shabby, but it's 0-0 tomorrow.
AL Playoff Update: In the race for the West title, the Angels missed a chance to take care of business for themselves by losing to Houston 7-6 in 11 innings but still won the division when Seattle lost in the late innings to Oakland, 5-3. This means Houston will travel to Seattle for the AL Wild Card Game, it should be Forrest Whitley vs Touki Toussaint. Seattle's ace, Marco Gonzales, has been out awhile with a foot injury and will miss the playoffs. As for the terrible AL Central, well this was always bound to happen:
Gonna see how OOTP deals with 3-way ties, should be interesting.