World Series Preview

This year’s World Series features two teams that are looking to win it all for the first time since the 1980’s.  Representing the National League is the New York Mets, who haven’t won a World Series since 1986.  Over on the American League side, the Kansas City Royals return to the Fall Classic for the second straight year after losing last year to the San Francisco Giants in seven games.  The Royals are looking to win the World Series for the first time in 30 years, 1985. 

Daniel Murphy has been the hottest hitter on the Mets all postseason; in 38 at-bats he hit .421 with seven homers, 11 RBI’s and a 1.462 OPS.  He homered in every single game of the National League Championship Series in which the Mets swept the Chicago Cubs in four games.  He actually has homered for six straight games heading into Game 1 on Tuesday night.  Besides Murphy, the Mets lineup features other solid bats such as Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, David Wright, Yoenis Cespedes, and Travis d’Arnaud.  The offense for the Royals has been the best of any team in the postseason, collectively hitting .271 with a .777 OPSl the lineup is led by Alcides Escobar, Ben Zobrist, Lorenzo Cain, Kendrys Morales, Mike Moustakas, and Alex Gordon. 

The Mets feature arguably the best starting pitching staff of the postseason.  Their rotation is now set.  Matt Harvey will pitch Game 1 followed by Jacob deGrom for Game 2, Noah Syndergaard for Game 3, and Steven Matz for Game 4.  As a staff, they have a postseason ERA of 2.65 and a ratio of 69 strikeouts to 18 walks across 54.1 innings in nine games.  The projected starting rotation for the Royals, not yet confirmed, features Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Yordano Ventura, and Chris Young.  The Royals starters need to have better outings to keep up with the Mets.  Through 11 postseason games, the Royas have managed just a 5.56 ERA in 55 innings. 

Both of these teams have been the best teams in baseball all season long so it is fitting that both of these guys are matching up in the World Series.  This will be a very tight series.  I predict the Mets to win in seven games. 

Mets Sweep Cubs, Advance To World Series

After many years of following the Mets from the days of Mike Piazza I can finally say they are going to the World Series.  When the Mets won game three you can hear it from two sides, some saying the Mets will finish the Cubs while others believed the Cubs could rally.  The Mets wasted no time in the beginning of the game.  With Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes on, Lucas Duda hit a three run homer to centerfield.  The very next batter, Travis d'Arnaud hit a homer to right-center and the Mets were up 4-0 after the first inning.

Duda also came up big in the following inning.  With David Wright and Daniel Murphy on, Duda doubled into centerfield to score them. 6-0 Mets.  The Cubs were able to get a run in the fourth but for the most part had a hard time against starting pitcher Steven Matz and starter-turned reliever Bartolo Colon.  Matz went 4.2 innings striking out four.  Colon would get the win.

Back in 1945, tavern owner Billy Sianis brought his pet goat to a World Series game at Wrigley Field.  Because the goat smelled, they both got kicked out.  After they got kicked out, Sianis said the Cubs would win no more, in other words never make it back to the World Series.  They haven't been back since.  The weird part about all of this is that the goat's name was Murphy and the player who was the best this entire series has been Daniel Murphy.  Murphy's law came into effect in the eighth inning.  With Wright on, Murphy homered to dead centerfield to quiet the crowd.  It was his seventh straight game with a homer.  The Mets would win 8-3 and advance to their first World Series since 2000.  Murphy would win series MVP.  They will face the Royals after Kansas City won Friday night.  The series will start on Tuesday at 8 from Kauffman Stadium.  Matt Harvey will pitch for the Mets.

Mets On The Brink Of World Series

After the Mets won the first two games in New York the series shifted to Chicago before a fired up crowd at Wrigley Field.  The pitching matchup featured Jacob deGrom for the Mets while the Cubs countered with Kyle Hendricks.  The Mets wasted no time getting on the board.  David Wright got on base and Yoenis Cespedes drove him in with a base hit to left field to score Wright to go up 1-0.

The Cubs tied it in the bottom of the first when Kyle Schwarber homered to left-center and set the fans into a frenzy.  Daniel Murphy, who has been playing out of his mind, got a lot of boos from the crowd. As he stepped in the batter's box in the third inning, you guessed it, he homered to centerfield.  In the fourth the Cubs tied it back up on a Jorge Soler home run.  

In the sixth, a big momentum shift happened for the Mets.  After a ground rule double that saved the Cubs a run, Chicago had the momentum but not for long.  With Cespedes on third, Michael Conforto was at the plate.  Conforto struck out swinging but the ball went past the catcher, Cespedes scored and Conforto made it to first, 3-2 Mets.  

The Mets added two more runs in the seventh.  With Wright and Murphy on, Cespedes hit an RBI single and advanced to second.  Lucas Duda grounded out but Murphy scored and that was all the Mets needed.  5-2 was the final score and the Mets are now one win away from the World Series.  deGrom pitched seven innings with seven strikeouts earning himself the win while Jeurys Familia got the save.  Tonight's pitching matchup will feature Steven Matz for the Mets while the Cubs counter with Jason Hammel.  

Mets Take First Two Games Of NLCS

For the first time since 2003 the Chicago Cubs were in the NLCS.  For the Mets, it was their first time since 2006.  Games one and two were Saturday and Sunday night from Citi Field.  Here is a recap of both games:

Game 1:

In game one, Matt Harvey pitched a gem and Daniel Murphy continued to put up big numbers in the postseason.  Murphy, after his clutch homer in game five of the NLDS that gave the Mets the win, picked up right where he left off with a home run to right field right off the Pepsi Porch to give the Mets the 1-0 lead.  After the Cubs tied it in the top of the fifth, the Mets answered with an RBI single by Curtis Granderson to give the Mets the lead 2-1.  In the bottom of the sixth, Travis d'Arnaud homered to centerfield.  The ball was so deep it hit the "home run apple."  In the bottom of the seventh Granderson got an RBI sac fly to put the Mets up 4-1.  The final score would be 4-2.  Matt Harvey pitched a gem going 7.2 innings with nine strikeouts.  Jeurys Familia got the four out save to close the game and give the Mets the 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: 

In Game 2 of the NLCS, the Mets were looking to go up 2-0 before heading to Chicago.  David Wright has struggled much of the Postseason but he helped the Mets get off to a good start.  With Curtis Granderson on base, Wright got a base hit in deep centerfield to score Granderson and give the Mets a 1-0 lead.  Then Daniel Murphy continued his hot Postseason with a two-run home run into right field.  It was his fifth homer of the Postseason which ties a Mets record.  He is tied with Mike Piazza. 

In the second inning, Chris Coghlan of the Cubs tried to get his team back in the game.  He almost did so with a home run but Granderson made a great catch to take it away from him.  

Noah Syndergaard pitched a gem as he went 5.2 innings with nine strikeouts for the win.  Jeurys Familia got the save and the Mets took Game 2 with a final score of 4-1 and lead the series 2-0.  The series shifts to Wrigley Field tonight for Game 3.  Jacob deGrom will take the ball for the Mets while Kyle Hendricks will pitch for the Cubs.  FIrst pitch is at 8:00 and the game can be seen on TBS.

Murphy's Big Night Lifts Mets To NLCS

After failing to close out the series at home, the Mets and the Dodgers were tied at two games setting up the "win or go home" Game 5.  It was a pitchers duel from Dodger Stadium as Zack Greinke pitched for LA while Jacob deGrom took the ball for the Mets.

Daniel Murphy, who would eventually have a breakout game, got it all started for the Mets at the start of the game.  He hit a double to left field to score Curtis Granderson.  Murphy wound up taking third on a fielding error.  The Dodgers responded with two runs in the bottom frame to take the 2-1 lead.  In the top of the fourth, Murphy was at it again.  With Murphy at first, a walk was issued.  Since there was a big shift, nobody was covering third so that allowed Murphy to advance to third.  That set up a Travis d'Arnaud sacrifice fly to right field to score Murphy and tie the game.

deGrom went six innings and struck out 7 eventually earning the win.  Noah Syndergaard, another starter, did some bullpen work striking out two.  In the top of the sixth, Murphy continued his impressive plate performance launching a home run into the right field seats to give the Mets the lead for good 3-2.  Jeurys Familia worked a six out save and struck out the final two batters to seal the win!

The Mets celebrated on the field at Dodger Stadium and popped bottles of champagne in the clubhouse.   Now they move on to the NLCS with game one set for tonight at Citi Field vs. the Chicago Cubs.  It's going to be one heck of a series 

Mets Use Bats, Take Game 3

After a controversial play on Saturday night involving Chase Utley sliding into Ruben Tejada illegally, helping the Dodgers get the eventual win, the series shifted to New York with the series tied at one game apiece.  The Mets sent Matt Harvey to the mound in the first ever postseason game at Citi Field.

During pre-game introductions it was an incredible sight.  When Utley's name was called, Mets fans responded with some of the loudest boos I've ever heard.  Utley was always a villain to fans during his time with the Phillies but he solidified his status with his slide into Tejada the other night.  As a result Tejada was injured, and Utley got suspended but he appealed and was eligible to play.  When Tejada was introduced, he came out with a crutch and tipped his hat to the fans.

The Dodgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second but the Mets responded quickly in the bottom frame.  With Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda on, Travis d'Arnaud singled to centerfield to score Cespedes.  After Wilmer Flores got on the bases were loaded with Curtis Granderson up.  He launched it to deep centerfield to the wall to clear the bases and give the Mets a 4-3 lead.  In the bottom of the third, d'Arnaud hit a two run homer to put the Mets up 6-3.

In the bottom of the fourth Daniel Murphy hit an RBI single to left field.  Then with two on, Cespedes hit a three-run homer to put the sellout crowd into a frenzy.  The Mets put up three more runs in the bottom of the 7th with a sac-fly by Michael Conforto and a two-RBI double by Granderson.  Matt Harvey pitched pretty well for his first Postseason start, pitching 5.0 innings and striking out 7.

Utley never went in the game but there were numerous chants of "We want Utley!" The Mets took game three with the final score 13-7 and will look to punch their ticket to the NLCS with a win tonight in Game 4.  Rookie Steven Matz will take the ball for the Mets while LA will counter with Clayton Kershaw with first pitch from Citi Field beginning at 8:00.

American League Wildcard: Astros Shut Out Yankees

The first game of the MLB Postseason on Tuesday night included teams that hadn't been to the playoffs in a long time.  The Astros haven't gone since their 2005 run to the World Series.  The Yankees hadn't gone since 2012.  The game was set in the Bronx before a sold-out crowd.

In the second inning, Colby Rasums started to quiet the Yankee Stadium crowd with a home run off of Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka  In the fourth, Carlos Gomez hit another homer.  Jose Altuve capped off the scoring in the seventh inning on a line-drive single and the Astros held off the Yankees 3-0.

Houston starter Dallas Keuchel pitched a gem with seven strikeouts to quiet the Bronx Bombers.  Tanaka was still able to get out of some jams despite giving up a few runs but it was the Yankee bats that couldn't get it done.  The Astros will now face the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS while the Yankees go home on another disappointing postseason performance.

Nationals Fire Matt Williams

This morning the Nats relieved Matt Williams of managerial duties.  After a disappointing season where they were supposed to win the World Series, he couldn't get the job done.  It wasn't even that they couldn't get back to the postseason that was bad, it was the way the players in the locker room weren't motivated in a clubhouse filled with nothing but drama.  

Williams got hired prior to 2014 with no managing experience whatsoever.  He did get off to a good start, leading Washington to their second NL East title and winning manager of the year.  When the playoffs hit, he made some moves that were very questionable.  In game two against San Francisco, the Nats were one out away with a 1-0 lead.  Jordan Zimmermann was on the hill, coming off of a no-hitter in his previous start.  Zimmermann was pitching a gem and needed just one more out.  Then he walked the next batter and Matt WIlliams took him out of the game.  The bullpen couldn't protect the 1-0 lead and 9 innings later, yes nine innings, the Nats lost a crucial game that they were so close to having.  If only Jordan was still on the mound, if only…

Then in game four, he went to the bullpen once again.  Even though there were many veterans in the pen that he could have used, he went with a guy with no playoff experience and he threw two wild pitches in a row as the Giants scored the potential game winning runs.  It was after those two games that I wanted this guy out of here.  Just saying.  

That offseason, the Nats signed Max Scherzer which was a move that was supposed to finally get them to play deep in October.  Bryce Harper even said "where's my ring?"  Once again Williams made mistakes.  The biggest were the way he used certain guys in the bullpen in certain games.  The fact that he took a late July series with the Mets as if it was just another series, while the skipper in the other dugout managed like he would sell everything he owned to beat the Nats.  

The big blow in the season came the very day the Nats signed Jonathan Papelbon.  Having a guy in him in the clubhouse is like a cancer to the team.  A lot of smart baseball fans knew it was a bad move and the rest of the world knew it on the second to last weekend of the season.  It wasn't Williams fault that they signed Papelbon at all but he would be in this story in the very next sentence.  After Papelbon and team MVP Bryce Harper got in a fight, one in which Papelbon started, Williams still left Papelbon in the game.  It was a move that was very baffling and disturbing.  It was like he was stoned or something.  In the press conference afterwards the reason he still left him in was because… "he's our closer."  It was like he didn't even care what went down.  And when you don't care about your star player, and by star player I mean someone who has done nothing but work his ass off day in and day out for this ballclub, that guy could always leave.  

Now thankfully the Nats did the right thing in that regard.  Hopefully Papelbon is out the door too.  With all the drama surrounding the Washington Nationals, this goes all the way back to General Manager Mike Rizzo.  He gambled, he went all in and like some of those unlucky in Vegas, he lost it all: the playoffs, the World Series, and a tight-knit clubhouse.  He said back when he rested Stephen Strasburg in the 2012 postseason after returning from Tommy John surgery that they would be in the playoffs every year fighting.  Right now his reputation with the team is hurting bringing all those guys in.  And another team in that division has another star pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery and he's pitching in the playoffs.  If that team wins it all this year, that has to be a slap in the face to Rizzo because that could have been them three years ago.  

I think the Nats can recover from this mess.  I really do.  Despite what I said earlier and the fact I am also a fan of that particular team in the division (and was for much longer, before the Nats even existed), the Nationals will be fine next year.  They just need a manager with experience in the postseason, or Cal Ripken Jr.  And they need to get rid of those guys who cause nothing but trouble.  Only then and good chemistry can you get back in the running for a title and maybe Bryce could get that ring.