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Old 11-28-2017, 09:12 PM   #100
Bub13
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
2040 playoffs

I previewed Toronto in the last post, so here's a brief look at Hawaii before the playoffs get started:
Toronto has the league's best pitching, and we have the best hitting. To me, the path to victory is twofold: get enough hitting to overcome their strong rotation, and get decent pitching top-to-bottom from our own shaky staff. I've shortened the rotation to four: Casillas and Hart were mostly good closing out the season, while Heine and Jones were not. We'll definitely need at least one of the latter two to do something positive if we hope to win. Healthwise, we're okay but not perfect. RF Chris Wiggins is done, and that hurts, as he was on fire in August and September. 2B Josh Robertson missed all but 13 games this season, and won't be back. Otherwise, we're good. For better or for worse.


WILD CARD GAMES
AL -- Oakland went full Islander and turned an early 3-0 lead into a 5-3 loss, sending Minnesota on to the divisional round. The Twins had just six hits (to Oakland's eight), but added nine walks, and got run-scoring doubles from Peanuts Carter in the 6th and Randy Kelly in the 7th. Minny now faces divisional rival Detroit.

NL -- Pittsburgh took an early lead and kept building on it, going up 6-0 before the Phils put 3 on the board in the 7th. The Pirates added the last 2 runs of the game in the bottom of that frame, for the final 8-3 score. SS David Diaz was the hitting star, going 3-for-3 and hitting a HR in the 4th. Mike Flynn lasted just five innings, but gave up no runs on 6 hits, while striking out 7. The Pirates will take on division mates New Orleans now.


DIVISIONAL SERIES
Game One: HAWAII (Leon Casillas, 14-11, 3.93) @ TORONTO (Dave Henderson, 18-9, 2.78)
"One game in and the Divisional Series already looks exhausting." That's the opening line from tonight's game report, and it's not wrong. After two quiet innings, Toronto turned two singles and a fielder's choice into a run in the third. In the fourth, with runners on first and third and two outs, Travis McArthur singled home Adam Groff, and the game was tied. The Jays turned around in the bottom of the fourth to plate a run on back-to-back doubles by Orlando Peres and Mike McConnell, and added another in the fifth on a Luis Torres solo home run. Toronto nearly added to their 3-1 lead in the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out on two hits and a walk. But two consecutive grounders erased runners at the plate, and Tony Castro's soft fly to left ended the threat. Hawaii clawed one back in the 7th when Jesse Henkel doubled, took third on a flyout to right center, and scored when 2B Henry Maldonado went for the out at first rather than the runner at home. The Islanders put two on in the 8th but couldn't score either one, and went into the final frame down 3-2. Pinch hitting for soft hitter Tom Rifkind, Nate Hullinger fouled off two pitches then drove one deep into the bleachers in left: tie ball game. The Jays got a runner to third in the 9th, but couldn't score him. Extra innings. In the tenth, Mel Carillo led off with a walk, and with one out Jeremy Dunklee down the line into right, scoring Carillo all the way from first. In their half of the tenth, Toronto's Tyler Gilliard walked with one out, and was followed by a Peres double. For some reason, Gilliard was held up at third. After a strike out, LF Ivan Aragon was walked, loading the bases. This time, however, there was no meltdown, as Pat Stanley got Torres to fly out softly to center, and the Islanders had taken game one, 4-3. If the Jays lose this series, they'll look to this game, and two moves in particular: holding Gilliard at third in the 9th, and removing the excellent Henderson after seven strong innings and just 85 pitches.
Elsewhere: Detroit scored 3 runs late to take game one from the Twins, 5-4. They did it again in game two, this time plating 4 in the 8th. San Diego split their first two games against the Mets, while Pittsburgh one both games at New Orleans, one a 2-1 pitcher's duel, the other a 15-4 blowout.

Game Two: HAWAII (Rob Hart, 9-5, 3.75) @ TORONTO (Joe Erkel, 17-7, 4.35)
Another extra inning game, a one-run contest, and a lot of familiar themes from this season. First inning, and we put two runners on, but couldn't score either. In the third, Mike Hunter singled, took second on a ground out, and scored on Adam Groff's bloop single into left. Aggressive baserunning paid off again. We put two more on in the fourth, but again couldn't bring either across the plate. Toronto finally got a runner to second in the fifth, but stranded two baserunners in turn. In the sixth, catcher Guillermo Diaz--in for the injured Alexis Mercedes--popped a solo shot into left field, and it was 2-0 Islanders. One swing, however, in the bottom of the seventh evened the game, as Orlando Peres brought home two with a shot to deep left center. After a quiet eighth, a double play erased a runner in the Islander half of the ninth, and did the same in the Jays half. Extra innings again! Nobody reached in the tenth for either team, but the eleventh was all drama. Jays closer Alberto Lopez ran the count to 3-2 to all three Islander batters, but induced two pop outs and a strikeout. In the Toronto half, Ivan Aragon singled, went to second on Henry Maldonado's sac bunt, and scored rather easily on a sharp single to right center. Series tied, and as close as a series can get after two. Both teams are getting excellent pitching thus far, but the Islanders suffered a blow when catcher Alexis Mercedes went out in the fourth inning; no word from the team yet if he'll miss any time.

Game Three: TORONTO (Dillon Phelan, 4-3, 3.90) @ HAWAII (Billy Heine, 13-9, 4.80)
Game three brought a new level of tension to an already hard-fought and close series, with the third one-run game and not a few hard feelings, in one dogout at least. Toronto came out swinging, with Moretti singling and stealing second on new catcher Diaz (still no word on the Mercedes injury, but it doesn't look promising), but Billy Heine struck out Preston Sorensen and Tim Manske to end the early threat. The Jays put two more on in the second, but Heine again shut things down with a Tony Castro strikeout. That made six Blue Jay outs, six strikeouts for Heine. Jeremy Dunklee got on for the Islanders in the second, but was stranded at second, while Heine recorded another strikeout in the Jays third, allowing no runners this time. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Hunter and Carillo singled, but Groff grounded out to end the minor threat. The fourth saw the Jays put another scare into the home crowd, this time when Manske doubled and took third on a Josh Jessee groundout. Peres then walked, but Mike McConnell popped out to first, and Sean Shelden tapped a soft grounder to Dunklee, who stepped on first and ended the frame. Dunklee was so fired up in the bottom of the inning that he doubled down the line in right but was thrown out at third trying to take the extra base. Too bad, since Henkel stepped up and singled, but was left stranded. What could have been... Things got heated in the fifth when a Heine fastball tailed in on Tony Castro, hitting him on the hand and putting him out of the game. After glares all around, things calmed down. Heine then struck out Maldonado, picked off pinch runner Ivan Aragon, and struck out Moretti, tipping his hat as he left the mound. Arrogant sod. Hawaii stranded another runner in the fifth, with Toronto pitcher Phelan looking in fine form. Home fans finally felt real pain in the sixth, as Toronto scored on a Manske double and a Peres single. A strikeout and a groundout ended the frame, but that Dunklee baserunning gaffe in the fourth loomed large now. Until... Bottom of the sixth, Dunklee gaps one into right center, but this time stays on second. With two outs, Jesse Henkel took Phelan's first pitch and went opposite field, putting it into the stands just feet from the foul pole, and the Islanders took a 2-1 lead. Jim Kieffer set the Jays down in order in the seventh, Pat Stanley struck out two in the eighth, and ended the game with by striking out Aragon looking. Islanders up 2 games to 1!
Elsewhere: Detroit swept Minnesota with a game three 4-0 shutout, ending an otherwise excellent season for the Twins. New Orleans copied the Pirates by winning two in Pittsburgh, one close and one blowout. San Diego outhit the Mets in four games, taking the third 3-0 and holding on for a series clinching 5-4 win at home in game four.

Game Four: TORONTO (Kevin Welch, 8-4, 3.45) @ HAWAII (Eric Jones, 11-10, 4.75)
(Before the game, Hawaii gets the word on Mercedes' injury: torn labrum, out for five weeks. He hit .282 with 42 HR this year. His replacement, Guillermo Diaz, hit .165 with 2 HR. But...he did have one in game two.)
The final game in Honolulu of this series, and maybe for the season, if the Islanders can't close it out today. Eric Jones goes for the good guys, hoping to erase the stench of an unfulfilling season, while the Jays are hoping Kevin Welch can keep their season alive. Here we go... In the first, Sorensen grounds into a double play, ending the inning. For Hawaii, Groff doubles but is left on second. Hawaii strands Hullinger in the second, but neither team puts runners on in the third. Toronto goes down 1-2-3 again in the fourth, and appears to be facing a highly motivated Eric Jones, who's given up just the one hit through four. In the bottom of the inning, Dunklee hits his fourth double of the series, this one a curving shot into left, and again wisely stays on second....which pays off when Hullinger works a 2-2 count on Welch then puts the fifth pitch into the left field seats. 2-0 Hawaii. After a groundout, Ian McGowan lines a double past Sorensen into right, and comes home when Kevin Collins hits the third Islander double of the inning. After four, it's Hawaii 3, Toronto 0. The Jays can't put anyone on in the fifth, while Hawaii adds to its lead when Carillo singles and goes to second on a groundout, then is driven home by Dunklee's single. All is quiet until the eighth, when Toronto finally puts another runner on with Jessee's one-out single, but he's erased by a fielder's choice, then reliever Pat Stanley strikes out Moretti to end the frame. Toronto manages to put two runners on in the ninth with two outs, and things get scary when Diaz lets a pitch get by him, bringing runners to second and third. But with a 3-2 count, Aaron Glass gets Sorensen to ground to second, ending the game and the series. It's an upset! Hawaii beats Toronto, 3 games to 1!

......

Well I did not see that one coming, really. But my prediction did hold true: We got good--no, excellent--pitching, and our hitting was just good enough to squeak out enough runs. Three one run games and a shutout in game four. The only cloud in the sky is the Mercedes injury. Diaz is our only catcher on the playoff roster now, so if he gets hurt...it'll be random guy from the stands behind the plate. Passed balls and stolen bases all around...Let's not think about that.

For now tho, it's on to Detroit. A 97-win team, they were good all year, and hung close to Minnesota, overtaking them for first when the Twins slipped some in September. They made their divisional series win over Minny look easy, too. Like us, they win with offense: 2nd in runs scored and HR, 4th in AVG, 3rd in OBP. Plus, they're a rare team that runs, leading the AL with 140 steals (compared to just 59 for us). They were 11th in runs against, with a straggly rotation that finished 15th in the AL with a 5.04 ERA, but the 7th best bullpen. Team defense was 15th.

Only one of their current starting pitchers had a regular season ERA below league average, and that was Raul Bravo at 4.42. He also led the team with 13 wins and 247 strikeouts. Closer Ramon Sanabria managed 12 wins and racked up 50 saves, with 98 K in 79 innings. Quite a rookie season there. At the plate, 1B C.J. Lee was the star, finishing .288/48/131. He went just 1-for-12 against Minnesota, so maybe...maybe...we're catching him in a downswing. RF Roberto Rivera led the team in hitting, and went .323/30/123 with 32 steals, while CF Chris Leonard put in .272/29/90, adding 24 steals. Leadoff batter Cory Hopkins established himself as a star in his first full year as a starter, hitting .315, with 56 doubles, 13 homers, and 35 steals. Then there's LF John Sheets, in the lineup due to an injury to Luis Acevedo and general mediocre play from Cameron Kerr. Sheets started the year in A ball, at Lakeland, spent most of the summer at AA Erie, before getting into 41 games for Toledo. Called up in August, he ended up hitting .345 with 4 HR in 55 AB, and was the MVP of the Minnesota series. Not bad for a 25-year-old former 8th round pick.


Next up: AL Championship Series Time!
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