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November 1, 2018
• In a move that left me hitting my head against the wall it was so incompetent, GM Terry Ryan replaced LF Andy Dirks on the roster with RHP SP Chris Heston, leaving my bench 1 bat short for the World Series when 4 of the 7 games would be on the road if the series goes the distance.
This is the series that everyone wants to play in—the World Series. It’s a rematch from 1965 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a showdown of the best team from each league in the regular season, the Dodgers have home field advantage.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Nick Gordon (SS)
Corey Seager (1B)
Yasiel Puig (RF)
Joc Pederson (CF)
Yasmani Grandal (C)
Alex Verdugo (LF)
Garin Cecchini (3B)
Hector Olivera (2B)
Julio Urias (SP)
Minnesota
Byron Buxton (CF)
Danny Santana (SS)
Joe Mauer (1B)
Aaron Hicks (LF)
Travis Harrison (3B)
Tommy La Stella (2B)
Jon Garcia (RF)
Hank Conger (C)
Trevor May (SP)
Anticipation was high as the World Series prepared to get underway with all of the pomp and circumstance at Dodger Stadium. The skies were clear with the wind blowing out to right at 8 MPH. The leadoff hitters are 2 of the best base stealers in all of MLB.
Things didn’t get off to a very encouraging start as Urias struck out the side in the 1st. May responded by striking out Seager and Puig after Gordon failed in his attempt to bunt his way on. Hicks led off the 2nd and hit a fly ball over Pederson’s head and kept running, beating the throw for an inside-the-park home run to open the scoring. The Dodgers got their 1st runner when Grandal grounded a single out of the reach of La Stella. Then Verdugo golfed a 2-2 fastball 378 feet to right to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. May then dug himself a deeper hole by walking Cecchini before Olivera hit a 2-run homer of his own to make it 4-1.
I’d already seen enough of May, so I had Manuel Guzman hit for May to lead off the 3rd but he grounded out. Buxton then sliced a 0-2 changeup 360 feet to right to bring us within 4-2. 3-pitches later, Santana golfed a changeup 385 feet to left-center and it was suddenly a 1 run game. We threatened to do more damage as Hicks and Harrison walked, but La Stella flew out to Pederson to end the inning.
John Curtiss took the mound to start the bottom of the 3rd. He did the job, retiring the heart of the Dodgers lineup in order. Considering my small bench, I let Curtiss hit with 2-out and nobody on in the 4th and he grounded out to Gordon to end the inning. Both pitchers seemed to settle into a grove after that, neither team mounting much of a serious threat.
Urias finally came out of the game after Conger grounded out to leadoff the 7th, after I sent Amaurys Minier up to hit for Curtiss. Evan Scribner came in to relieve Urias. The bullpens continued to do an excellent job shutting down the offenses.
I got desperate enough to send Kennys Vargas to the plate to hit for Conger with 2-out in the 9th and La Stella on 1st. Vargas hit a fly ball that Pederson was able to reel in just shy of the warning track in center to end the game. Combined the 2 teams only managed 11 hits as the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Minnesota 3 at Los Angeles Dodgers 4
WP: Julio Urias (3-1), LP: Trevor May (0-2), SV: Yimi Garcia (4)
HR: MN-Aaron Hicks (2), Byron Buxton (3), Danny Santana (1), LAD-Alex Verdugo (2), Hector Olivera (1)
POTG: Julio Urias, with 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. On a day with no outstanding offensive performances it’s a decision that makes sense.
November 2, 2018
Los Angeles Dodgers
Nick Gordon (SS)
Corey Seager (1B)
Yasiel Puig (RF)
Joc Pederson (CF)
Yasmani Grandal (C)
Alex Verdugo (LF)
Garin Cecchini (3B)
Hector Olivera (2B)
Zack Greinke (SP)
Minnesota
Byron Buxton (CF)
Danny Santana (SS)
Joe Mauer (1B)
Travis Harrison (3B)
Aaron Hicks (LF)
Jon Garcia (RF)
Tommy La Stella (2B)
Hank Conger (C)
Jose Berrios (SP)
The pressure is on with us trailing a series for the 1st time this postseason. The skies are clear with the wind blowing out to center at 7 MPH.
Greinke got out of the 1st only allowing a 2-out walk to Mauer, though Harrison sent Pederson nearly to the track to end the inning. Berrios answered by retiring the side in order on 2 grounders and a can of corn to Buxton in the bottom of the inning. Neither team had a hit until Santana lined a 2-out single to left in the 3rd as Berrios and Greinke dominated early. Greinke was actually the Dodgers’ 1st base runner when he grounded a 2-out single to right in the bottom of the inning.
Neither team could get anything going at the plate into the late innings. Neither team had a runner in scoring position until Puig reached 2nd on a 2-out single by Grandal in the 7th. Verdugo then walked to load the bases, but Cecchini grounded out harmlessly to La Stella to end the inning. Even putting the ball in play had been a problem, as Berrios and Greinke combined for 17 strikeouts through 7 innings.
With 1 out in the 8th I sent Amaurys Minier to the plate for Berrios, and the Dodgers responded by bringing in Kenley Jansen as part of a double switch, with Verdugo coming out of the game and Johan Mieses taking left field and hitting 9th. When we went down in order, I brought in Nick Burdi. Mieses didn’t even get to hit though as the Dodgers pinch-hit Mark Trumbo for him and struck out for the 2nd out.
We finally put a rally together with 2-out in the 9th as Harrison and Hicks singled to put runners on the corners with Garcia scheduled to hit. With Garcia 1-for-16 in the postseason I made a bold move and brought in Manuel Guzman to pinch-hit. Guzman flew out to Trumbo in left to end the inning. At the end of 9 innings, the 2 teams had combined for 7 hits.
Yimi Garcia in his 2nd inning of work dug himself a hole in the 10th walking La Stella and Conger to leadoff the inning. That brought Evan Scribner into the game. With Burdi scheduled to hit, I called on Brian Navarreto. Navarreto got a successful sacrifice down to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd. The Dodgers responded by intentionally walking Buxton to set up the possibility of a double play. Santana laced a line drive between Seager and the line for a 2-run double to open the scoring. Mauer and Harrison didn’t bring any insurance runs in and I had to send Michael Tonkin to the mound with a 2 run lead.
Grandal grounded out harmlessly unassisted to Mauer to leadoff the inning. Carlos Gomez grounded a single up the middle, with Tonkin getting injured (shoulder inflammation, 3 months) on the play. Having already used Burdi, I brought in Lester Oliveros to try to close it out. I swallowed hard when Cecchini flew out to near the warning track for the 2nd out. Olivera caught a break when he grounded to Mauer but Oliveros dropped the flip and everybody was safe, bringing the potential winning run to the plate. Wth Scribner scheduled to hit, the Dodgers called on Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Oliveros clipped him with a 1-1 slider to load the bases for Gordon. Oliveros froze Gordon on a 2-2 changeup to end the game and even the series at 1-1.
Minnesota 2 at Los Angeles Dodgers 0 (10 innings)
WP: Nick Burdi (1-0), LP: Yimi Garcia (0-1), SV: Lester Oliveros (1)
HR: MN-None, LAD-None
POTG: Jose Berrios who pitched 7 shutout innings, surrendering only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 on 95 pitches.
November 3, 2018
Off Day
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