PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #151
2018 Colorado Rockies (91-72) vs 1922 Cleveland Indians (78-76)
Baseball in Colorado has been like nothing the history of the game has seen before and the Rockies in their close to 30myear history have had to adapt to their playing environments. The club has not had many successful seasons, but in 2018 lead by Bud Black they won 91 games and made it to the NLDS. Starter Kyle Freeland likely had the best season ever by a Colorado starter. Freeland went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA with 7.7 K per nine. He allowed only 17 home runs in what was an excellent campaign. German Marquez won 14 games with a more appropriate 3.77 ERA striking out 230 batters with a 1.2 WHIP and 125 ERA+. Tyler Anderson went 7-9 from the left side allowing 30 home runs and a 4.57 FIP while Jon Gray was even worse with a 5.12 ERA and 1.35 WHIP making him avoidable in such a series. Chad Betts went 5-2 in 20 starts with a 5.01 while Antonio Senzatela wasn’t bad at 23 years old in 13 starts with an even 6-6 record and a 4.38 ERS. Wade Davis had the experience as a closer but was past his best with a 4.13 ERA but still 43 saves and a 1.05 WHIP. Adam Ottavino was excellent with a 2.43 ERA and some fine work as the main setup arm. Scott Oberg and Brayn Shaw were two more pen arms as the relief unit became thin very quickly. The unit as a whole had a 4.33 ERA which want bad at all for a Rockies team. As one might expect the offense was a strong one. Nolan Arenado hit 38 home runs with 110 RBI and a .374 OBP making him the anchor in the middle of the order. Arenado of course was also the best fielding third baseman in the game. Next to him in the order and on the infield was Trevor Story who hit 37 home runs and 108 RBI with a .914 OPS. Story just killed the baseball for 42 doubles and added 27 steals. DK Lemahieu hit .276 out of second base with 15 home runs and 32 doubles. He is an excellent contact hitter, something Ian Desmond was not. Desmond struck out 146 times hitting .236 at first base but hit 22 home runs and still drove in 88. Chris Ianneta had better days as the team catcher at 35 years old hitting .224, not a good number at wall when playing at Coors Field. Charlie Blackmon worked in center field hitting .291 with an impressive .860 OPS with 12 steals and 119 runs scored neat the top of the order. Gerardo Parra hit .284 with limited power most of his hits were singles and wasn’t the best fit to play in this lineup. Carlos Gonzalez at 32 years old hit .276 with 16 home runs and 32 doubles in what was likely his last productive season. Davi Dahl hit 16 home runs in a rush of playing time at the end of the season and should see a number of atbats in this series. Ryan McMahon and Noel Cuevas made up the rest of the regular bench mob and Tony Wolters was the left handed catcher but hit only .170. Colorado will look to take full advantage of their home field advantage but Tris Speaker and his team wont be an easy out.
Tris Speaker was 34 years old in 1922 but still played the game with the bat and the glove better then just about anyone. He hit 48 doubles and ended with a .378 average and 1.08 OPS. Speaker also found the time to manage the team that mirrored his brand of baseball that included good defense and contact hitting. Charlie Jamiesson hit a nice .323 from left field with 15 steals and 57 RBI. He scored 87 runs and partnered very well with his manager in the outfield. Smoky Joe Wood, the great pitcher turned hitter, hit .297 and drove in a team leading 92 runs. He had 33 doubles and finsihed with an .809 OPS; reminds some of Ohtani. Larry Gardner hit .285 at third and struck out only 21 times all season. Gardner had 68 RBI and 74 runs scored. Bill Wambsganss may have had a hard name to pronounce but stole 17 bases with 89 runs and played a good second base. Stuffy McInnis hit .305 with 78 RBI even as he turned 31, he was a good veteran presence that Speaker liked to lean on. Steve O;Neill was a great catcher hitting .311 with 27 doubles and a .423 OBP. He was also a wonderful game caller and really was one of the most underrated players of the era. Finally at short was Joe Sewell who at 23 had a world of talent. He drove in 83 runs with a .771 OPS 215 total bases. Sewell was the future of the organization and a fan favorite. Riggs Stephenson was an excellent hitter off the bench going for .329 with .511 slugging. Joe Evans backed up in the outfield with 11 steals to his name while Luke Sewell was the backup catcher. The Cleveland pitching could have been better and likely held the club back. George Uhle won 22 games at 23 years old with a 4.07 ERA while allowing over 10 hits per nine. Uhle was a bit too inconsistent to be an ace. Stan Coveleski had a much stronger 3.32 ERA in 33 starts with a 1.28 WHIP but 14 home runs allowed. He showed the most promise of all the hurlers. Guy Morton went 14-9 with an even 4.00 ERA but a worrisome 1.49 WHIP. Dan Boone had an even 100 ERA+ with a 4.06 ERA in 75 innings as he rounded out the Indians group of starters. Duster Mails started 13 times and could be used in a variety of roles in over 100 innings. Jim Bagby had a save and was used often in relief but was hit very very hard with an ERA over 6. James Edwards and Jim Lindsey struggled as the team ERA of 4.59 for the era was rather ugly. The series really is a hard one to call but one would think that the Cleveland pitching could really have a difficult time throwing at Coors.
Game 1 At Coors Field
Clear 49
1922 Indians.................5
2018 Rockies................7
WP: S. Oberg (1-0) LP: J. Lindsey (0-1) S; W. Davis (1)
HR: T. Speaker (1)
POG: DJ Lemehieu
2018 Rockies lead series 1-0
The Rockies broke a 5-5 tie in the 8th inning plating three runs off the Indians bullpen with DJ Lemahieu delivering a 2 run single in the 3 run inning. Lemahieu had 4 RBI on the night in what was the expected high scoring game at Coors. Adam Ottavino did leave this game with an injury and it could be a significant loss for the Colorado bullpen.
Game 2 At Coors Field
Cloudy 46
1922 Indians...................10
2018 Rockies...................6
WP: G. Morton (1-0) LP: S. Oberg (1-1)
HR: T. Story (1)
POG: Smoky Joe Wood
Series tied at 1
The Rockies took a 4-0 lead behind a two run home run by Trevor Story but it soon evaporated when the visitors scored 10 runs in the 5th and 6th inning to put the game away and tie the series. Smoky Joe Wood had 6 RBI when he cleared the bases twice, once on a double and then on a triple as the Indians were actually outhit in this game 14-11 but made the most of their chances. The Rockies walked nine men in this game, not a good formula to win at Coors. The series now moves to a more conventional setting at League Park in Cleveland.
Game 3 At League Park
Rain 47
2018 Rockies...............4
1922 Indians................6
WP: S. Coveleski (1-0) LP: J. Gray (0-1) S: D. Mails (1)
HR: T. Speaker (2)
POG: Tris Speaker
1922 Indians lead series 2-1
Cleveland comes home and does the damage early against John Gray who would not make it past the second inning. Tris Speaker hit a two run home run in the second and Stuffy McGinnis added two more RBI to support Stan Coveleski who looked good in his six winning innings. Cleveland takes control of the series.
Game 4 At League Park
Clear 60
2018 Rockies..............................4
1922 Indians...............................1
WP: A. Senzatela (1-0) LP: G. Uhle (0-1) S: W. Davis (2)
HR: None
POG: Antonio Senzatela
Series tied at 2
Antonio Senzatela pitched six innings of shutout ball and the Rockies bullpen hung on as Wade Davis earned his second save in the three run win. RBI hits by Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon eased the stress of the game and some solid defense carried the remainder of the way as Colorado ties the series. George Uhle takes the loss and the Indians lineup managed only four hits total on the day.
Game 5 At League Park
Partly cloudy 50
2018 Rockies..................4
1922 Indians...................6 (10 inn)
WP: D. Mails (1-0) LP: W. Davis (0-1)
HR: T. Speaker 2 (4)
POG: Tris Speaker
1922 Indians lead series 3-2
Tris Speaker continues to build on his legend as in the bottom of the 10th he walked off the game with a 2 run home run off of Wade Davis. The Rockies had staged a comeback and tied the game in the 9th when DJ Lemahieu doubled in a run with 2 out. Speaker had 2 home runs and 4 RBI but Indians starter James Edwards made two crucial errors to get the Rockies back in the game. Speaker walks the series back to Colorado.
Game 6 At Coors Field
Drizzle 45
1922 Indians.....................6
2018 Rockies...................13
WP: K. Feeland (1-0) LP: G. Morton (1-1)
HR: R. Stephenson (1), S. McGinnis (1), I. Desmond (1)
POG: Stuffy McGinnis
Series tied at 3
In typical Coors Field fashion, with their backs against the wall, the Rockies scored 13 runs in the first three innings including 8 in the 3rd inning to overwhelm the Indians. Nolan Arenado had 4 RBI and the Indians made three errors and didn't play the type of game to close out a series. Kyle Freeland goes 5 innings for the win.
Game 7 At Coors Field
Partly cloudy 44
1922 Indians......................9
2018 Rockies.....................3
WP: S. Coveleski (2-0) LP: J. Gray (0-2)
HR: T. Story (2), R. Stephenson (2)
POG: Riggs Stephenson
The 1922 Indians cracked out 14 hits and broke out to an early 4-0 lead and would never look back in the deciding game of this good series. Riggs Stephenson goes 4-5 and with three runs scored and Smoky Joe Wood along with Joe Sewell each drove in two runs. Stan Coveleski wins his second game of the series going six innings and allowing 2 earned runs off five strikeouts. Jon Gray takes the loss on a night they needed him to be better.
1922 Cleveland Indians Win Series 4 Games To 3
Series MVP:
Tris Speaker
(.375, 4 HR, 8 RBI, .542 OBP, 1.72 OPS, 7 R, 1 SB)