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. 

Mets Clinch NL East For First Time Since 2006

For the first time since 2006, the Mets not only clinched the NL East Division title but also a spot in the postseason.  There will be October baseball in Queens once again.  The road to get to this point has been one of ups and downs.  After losing Game 7 of the NLCS in 06 in heartbreaking fashion to the Cardinals, the Mets were expected to return to the playoffs the following year.  They had a 7.5 game lead over the Phillies with two weeks left in the season but couldn't get the job done.  In 2008, they looked to bounce back from that late-season collapse in their final year at Shea Stadium.  They once again choked away the division lead and the Phils gone on to win the World Series.  

2009 marked a new era and sadly a rebuilding one in their first year in their new ballpark, Citi Field.  Two years later, GM Sandy Alderson got involved with some scandal that made him and the team nearly bankrupt.  That was an all time low for the franchise.  It wasn't until 2013 when you could start seeing progress.  The Mets had drafted Matt Harvey and had great pitching both currently that year and down on the farm.  2014 saw the emergence of Jacob deGrom as he went on to win NL Rookie Of The Year.

The Mets kept up with the Nationals all season long, who were heavily favored to win the division.  Then in late July and early August, a sweep at home over Washington catapulted the Mets to the front of the division and they never looked back.  On Saturday September 26, those nine years of misery finally came to an end. 

A ton of Mets fans made the trip in the hopes that they would clinch the division that day.  As early as the first inning, the Mets had no doubt. Lucas Duda got the party started with a grand slam in the first inning.  In the top of the second, Curtis Granderson hit a solo shot.  With a 5-2 lead in the top of the third and Daniel Murphy and Duda on base, Michael Cuddyer doubled to centerfield to score them to go up 7-2.  In the top of the ninth, captain David Wright put the icing on the cake with a three run homer.  The Mets won the game 10-2 and the champagne bottles started poppin shortly after.

Skins Win 2nd Preseason Game, RGIII Hurt

After taking the preseason opener over the Browns, the Redskins returned home to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland hosting the Detroit Lions.  The Redskins got off to a poor start especially from their starters.  With absolutely no help from the offensive line, Robert Griffin III struggled.  He went two for five for eight yards, and got sacked three times including two fumbles.  RGIII struggled all night in the pocket during those four drives.  As he dropped back to pass, he got hit six of the eight times including a pass batted down.  On his last play of the night in the early second quarter, he scrambled and dropped the ball despite no contact.  As he fell on top of the ball, some Lions players ended up right on top of him.  As a result, RGIII left the game with a concussion.

Despite the injury, the Redskins backups stepped up.  Trailing 10-0, Colt McCoy led the team down the field as Matt Jones ran it in for a touchdown.  In the third quarter, McCoy fired a 19 yard touchdown strike to Reggie Bell to take a 14-10 lead.  After Detroit scored to go up three, the Skins answered in the fourth quarter when Kirk Cousins threw a touchdown pass to Rashad Ross.  Final score 21-17.

Washington will continue their preseason slate when they head up the beltway to take on the Baltimore Ravens next Saturday August 29.  Kickoff is at 7:30.

Redskins Take Preseason Opener

Despite trailing in the first half by 11, the Redskins were able to come back and take their preseason opener over the Cleveland Browns.  The Redskins starters only played in the first two possessions of the game.  Quarterback Robert Griffin III went 4 of 8 passing for 36 yards.  He nearly threw a deep touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon but he dropped it.  It was a good throw regardless.  

Redskins tight end Niles Paul left the game in the first quarter injuring his left ankle.  He is expected to undergo an MRI soon.

Trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, backup quarterback Kirk Cousins ran it in from four yards for the Skins first touchdown of the year.  A field goal by Kai Forbath at the end of the half made it a 14-13 game.  The Redskins took the lead for good on a Trey Williams one yard touchdown run in the third quarter.  The final was the Redskins winning 20-17.  

Leading the Redskins, Cousins went 12-14 with 154 yards.  In rushing, Alfred Morris ran for 42 yards on eight carries.  Andre Roberts led receivers with four receptions for 71 yards.  The Redskins continue their preseason action next week as they return to FedEx Field to host the Lions with a 7:30 kickoff.  

NYCFC Late Comeback Stuns DC United

New York City FC desperately needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.  They had to do it against the team with the best record in the MLS, DC United.  It wasn't easy as the game was a tale of two halves in front of a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium.

DCU took the lead in the 36th minute on a goal by Alvaro Saborio.  It was 1-0 United at the half.  In the second half, NYC tied it in the 51st minute by Tommy McNamara.  NYCFC grabbed the lead on a goal by David Villa in the 80th minute and sealed the win in the 88th minute with a goal by Kwadwo Poku.

DCU will be back in action on Wednesday at 8 pm as they head to Panama to take on Arabe Unido in CONCACAF Champions League action.  NYCFC will travel to Columbus on Wednesday to take on the Crew at 7:30.