MLB 2015 - Being the Brewmaster!

[Griever20]

Great Day for Martin, Hits for Cycle
stadiumreport.bbn

September 7th, 2022

It was a special day for Richie Martin at AT&T Park -- the San Francisco Giants second baseman hit for the cycle, getting every type of hit possible.

The 27-year-old Martin racked up 1 single, 1 double, 1 triple and 1 home run to get his name in the history books. It was all for naught, however, as the Giants didn't win the ballgame, dropping the decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-7.

"He hit everything we threw," said Arizona manager Chip Hale. "There was just no getting him out today."

For the game, he was 4-for-5 with 3 runs batted in and 2 runs scored.

"I'm glad for Richie," San Francisco manager Teuji Okamoto said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing and a nice feather in his cap. Would've been better if we could have won the game for him, too."

Speaking to the press after the game, Martin said the key for his record-setting day was "just getting some good pitches to hit."

Richie Martin grounded out in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Ivan Pineyro in the 5th, doubled in the 7th and hit a two-run triple in the 8th.

So far this season Martin has hit .280/.380/.366 with 3 home runs, 32 RBIs and scored 53 times. Originally drafted as a supplemental pick in 2016 by the Padres, he was acquired for a couple of minor prospects in 2020.

---

Miller Park, Milwaukee

September 9th, 2022

"Bottom 5th, one down. J.T. Realmuto has just walked and that brings up the pitchers spot. However, Nikorak has not had a good night and they might pinch-hit for him. Is this the moment... YES IT IS GUYS!"

Now pinch-hitting for the Brewers, NUMBER EIGHT... RYYYAAANNN BRRRAUUUUNNN!

"Here he is, Ryan Braun is announced as a pinch-hitter. The 38-year old signed a one-day contract earlier today, getting granted his biggest wish these days... to retire in a Brewers uniform. K.C. Martin very much agreed to that AND added him to the 40-man to give him one last AB."

"Narvaez toes the rubber and here is the first pitch... high for ball one. Braun, a career .290 hitter with 382 home runs, 1187RBI's and 2116 hits, left Milwaukee after the 2020 season and signed with the Nationals for two years, but got released on April 15th this year by them."

"Here comes the pitch... outside corner, painted the black for a strike, 1-1. The Red Sox added him on a 1y/$880k deal later a couple of weeks later, but he injured his knee in his eleventh game, was released again, and ultimately decided that is this the end."

"The 1-1 pitch... swing and a miss, that 98mph heater down in the zone was too fast for him. Braun appeared in parts of 14 seasons with the Brewers and he still leads all Milwaukee hitters in career home runs with 363."

"Narvaez is looking to put him away here... and the pitch is low, 2-2. The 2011 NL MvP, 2007 NL Rookie of the Year, 4x Silver Slugger and 6x All-Star appeared in a total of 2006 major league games since 2007."

"2-2 pitch... and that is a swing and a miss and Braun is out. The crowd is on their feet... and he takes is bat... and runs to the home dugout side... to a couple of young fans? He gives them his bat... his batting helmet... and his grove, WoW that are some serious souveniers for those kids, and they look excited."

[Griever20]

Week 23: 4@ Pittsburgh Pirates(69-68), 3vs St. Louis Cardinals(54-82)

September 5th

Pirates Subdue Milwaukee, 3-2

Pittsburgh starter Patrick Raby pitched effectively against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. The right-hander led his team to a 3-2 win. Raby went 8.1 innings to notch the win. He scattered 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. His record improves to 1-2. Darwin Ramos earned his 1st save in 4 chances.

Riley Hogan aided the Pittsburgh cause with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the third. For the game, the third baseman went 1-4 with a double. Hogan was acquired from Baltimore in July.

"We'll savor this win," Raby told the Pittsburgh Daily News, "then get ready for the next game." Pittsburgh is now riding a 4-game win streak and moved within a half game of second place in the division.

PHI 1 - CIN 3
STL 5 – CHC 6

MIL 97-40 CLINCHED
CIN 70-67
PIT 70-68
CHC 60-77
STL 54-83

Carlos Rodon(L, 14-7 3.39) – Deaundre Roberts(R, 6-2 4.45) tomorrow. D.J. and the Pirates still try to find out if the 4.45ERA this year or the 2.64ERA last year is the truth.

SP Julio Urias 7IP 7H 3R 3ER 1BB 7K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-4 2DB(37)
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4 R
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 R 2RBI HR
C Jake Turnbull 1-2 2BB
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(32)
HR PIT: Joc Pederson(13)
W: Patrick Raby(1-2 2.82) L: Julio Urias(17-5 2.93) SV: Darwin Ramos(1 4.61)
We simply did not get the second big hit apart from a Aaron Brown 2-run jack.

News:
Yankees C Brian Reyes(27, 4.5*) drove in all runs in a 2-0 victory over the White Sox, going 3-3 2R 2RBI BB with two solo home runs. The 2021 AL Silver Slugger is playing in his fifth season, batting .291-41-97 .953OPS in 119 games.

September 6th

Brewers Return Favor, Win 3-2

Milwaukee left-hander Carlos Rodon made an effective start against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, leading his team to a 3-2 win. Rodon got the win, improving to 15-7. He allowed 4 hits and walked 3 over 7 innings. Rodon allowed 1 earned run. Corey Knebel converted his 40th save in 45 tries.

Devin Mann was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, while adding 2 RBI for Milwaukee. The top prospect had a key at-bat in the top of the fifth. With two out and the bases loaded, he broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring walk off Deaundre Roberts. It was his 54th walk of the season.

Mann told a Milwaukee Daily News reporter that he was "satisfied" with the win. The Brewers have an impressive 98-40 record.

It was a sad day for Pirates left fielder Joc Pederson as he homered twice, but that still was not enough to bring home the win. That being said, the 4x All-Star is having a horrible year, batting .198-15-45 .640OPS in 134 games.

PHI 4 - CIN 2
STL 5 – CHC 3

MIL 98-40 CLINCHED
CIN 70-68
PIT 70-69
CHC 60-78
STL 55-83

Jefferson Vergara(R, 16-5 2.87) – Grant Sloan(R, 9-9 4.67) tomorrow. Throwing 98-100mph has not quite made him an ace so far, 9th rounder in 2015.

SP Carlos Rodon 7IP 7H 1R 1ER 3BB 7K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-4 2R BB SB(38)
LF Mickey Moniak 2-4 R
CF Aaron Brown 3-5 RBI
2B Devin Mann 1-3 2RBI BB
3B Mason Templet 2-3 BB
HR MIL: none
HR PIT: Joc Pederson 2(15)
W: Carlos Rodon(15-7 3.30) L: Deaundre Roberts(6-3 4.35) SV: Corey Knebel(40 2.39)
#40 for Knebel, did not see that one coming at the start of the season to be honest. And yes, Pederson kinda likes us... still, his batspeed is gone.

News:
Mets SP M.D. Johnson(25, 5*) added some more goose eggs today, eight of them in a 9-0 win over the Marlins, walking none and striking out nine. Going 14-5 2.36 221K in 29 starts, he certainly has thrown his hat in the Cy Young Award win.

September 7th

Tucker Neuhaus was eligible to come off the DL today... and was sent to a rehab assigment to AAA instead of getting activated right away.

Brewers Slip Past Pittsburgh, 4-3

Milwaukee Brewers starter Jefferson Vergara was in a groove as he kept things close in a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tom Harlan, credited with the win, is now 7-0. He allowed no runs on no hits in 1.2 innings. Corey Knebel earned his 41st save in 46 chances.

Aaron Brown drove in one run for Milwaukee. The four-time All-Star had a key at-bat in the top of the eighth. With one out and runners on 1st and 3rd, he broke a 3-3 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Darwin Ramos. It was his 88th RBI of the season.

"We did enough to win," said Brown. The Brewers own a robust 99-40 mark. The game was tied at three for a while as the Pirates jumped on Vergara for three runs on home runs by 'Knuckles' Franklin and outfielder Alex Wells.

It was also a big day for 25-year old Dillon Paulson. The San Marcos, California native got his first MLB AB in the seventh as a pinch hitter and lasered a single into right to collect his first hit right away.

PHI 7 - CIN 0
PHI SP Martin Perez(31, 4*) 9IP 6H 0ER 2BB 6K W(3-0 2.66)
STL 6 – CHC 1

MIL 99-40 CLINCHED
CIN 70-69
PIT 70-70
CHC 60-79
STL 56-83

Dave Hall(R, 3-4 4.25) – Dillon Tate(R, 9-10 2.20) tomorrow. Ace...

SP Jefferson Vergara 6.1IP 6H 3R 2ER 2BB 6K
LF Mickey Moniak 2-5
CF Aaron Brown 0-4 R RBI
C Jake Turnbull 1-4 R BB
2B Devin Mann 2-4 R RBI BB
1B Justin Hancock 1-4 RBI
RF Dayton Dugas 1-3 RBI DB
3B Mason Templet 1-3 BB
HR MIL: none
HR PIT: Norm Franklin(29), Alex Wells(19)
W: Tom Harlan(7-0 2.57) L: Darwin Ramos(2-3 4.54) SV: Corey Knebel(41 2.35)
Remember the times where I atleast could complain about our closer?... And how the **** does Harlan get 7 wins?

September 8th

Brewers Need Extras to Beat Bucs, 4-3

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3. Earning player of the game honors was center fielder Alex Wells, who was 4-5 with a home run, 3 singles, and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. The Brewers improved to a lofty 100-40.

The game winning run plated himself in the top of the eleventh when Dillon Paulson hit a big go-ahead solo home run off Corby McCoy

"I was a little disappointed," said Pittsburgh manager Don Wakamatsu. "We could've and should've scored more runs." For the 100-win Brewers, they return home to face the 56-83 Cardinals and right fielder Stu Escamilla(.236-24-59 .760OPS).

CIN, CHC, STL offday

MIL 100-40 CLINCHED
CIN 70-69
PIT 70-71
CHC 60-79
STL 56-83

Taylor A. Lewis(R, 5-11 4.57) – Frank Lopez(L, 17-2 2.54) tomorrow. Lopez is two away from his career high.

SP Dave Hall 5IP 6H 2R 2ER 4BB 6K, 1-2 R DB
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-6 R RBI DB
CF Aaron Brown 1-5 BB
2B Devin Mann 1-5
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-6
C Jake Turnbull 1-4 R BB
1B J.T. Realmuto 2-4 R RBI DB HR
3B Mason Templet 1-3 BB
PH/1B Dillon Paulson 1-2 R RBI HR
HR MIL: J.T. Realmuto(2), Dillon Paulson(1)
HR PIT: Alex Wells(20)
W: Ronny Carjaval(3-1 3.31) L: Corby McCoy(0-1 5.79)
Took us a little longer... nice second career hit for Mr. Paulson.

September 9th

Brewers Top Cardinals Behind Lopez, 3-1

Milwaukee Brewers starter Frank Lopez pitched effectively against the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park. The left-hander spearheaded his team's 3-1 win. Milwaukee goes to 101-40. The win puts them 29.5 games up in their division.

Lopez, who dominated for Milwaukee, earned the victory to move to 18-2. He was in control the whole game, scattering 4 hits over 9 innings, while striking out 10. St. Louis batters could never bunch up enough hits to produce a rally.

"Whenever we hold the other team to one run," said Brewers manager Mike Matheny, "I like our chances." Offensively, it was Aaron Brown once again. He went 3-3 with two solo home runs.

CHC 3 – CIN 4
ARI 4 – PIT 6

MIL 101-40 CLINCHED
CIN 71-69
PIT 71-71
CHC 60-80
STL 56-84

Jesus Narvaez(L, 3-3 4.25) – Mike Nikorak(R, 1-1 4.71) tomorrow. Chance #2 to impress for Mike against a decent lefty.

SP Frank Lopez 9IP 4H 1R 1ER 2BB 10K
CF Aaron Brown 3-3 2R 2RBI 2HR
C Jake Turnbull 1-4
2B Devin Mann 1-2 R
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-3
HR STL: Stu Escamilla(25)
HR MIL: Aaron Brown 2(34)
W: Frank Lopez(18-2 2.47) L: Taylor A. Lewis(5-12 4.47)
Ok, so Frank Lopez is looking for a Cy Young...

September 10th

Cardinals Win, 7-3, On Braun's Big Day

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-3. Earning player of the game honors was shortstop Christopher Torres, who went 2-4 with a home run and a walk. He scored 2 times. Jesus Narvaez got credit for the win, improving to 4-3. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 5.1 innings. St. Louis, at 57-84, sits in last place in the National League Central Division.

Alex Destino went 2-5 with 2 singles, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once against the Brewers. In the top of the first inning, he hit a 2-run single, putting St. Louis in front, 2-0. "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves," Destino told a St. Louis Today reporter. "Sometimes we need just to relax."

It was a big and tearful day for the Brewers and Ryan Braun as the beloved outfielder got his final career AB today before retiring. "Imagine Aaron Brown and Ryan Braun, both in their prime, in our outfield. Frightening," Mike Matheny said after the game.

CHC 6 – CIN 5
CHC RF Nick Plummer(26, 2.5/3*) 2-5 2R 3RBI 2HR(18)
ARI 3 – PIT 2

MIL 101-41 CLINCHED
CIN 71-70
PIT 71-72
CHC 61-80
STL 57-84

Pedro Beltran(R, 7-14 4.83) – Julio Urias(L, 17-5 2.93) tomorrow. Beltran is only 24, but had an abysma first year in the rotation, amassing -0.7WAR.

SP Mike Nikorak 5IP 9H 5R 5ER 3BB 6K
SS Shane Benes 1-5 SB(6)
2B Devin Mann 1-4 R
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 R
3B Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 R
C J.T. Realmuto 1-2 R 2BB
LF Brent Keys 1-3 RBI
HR STL: Carlos Torres(10), Max Stassi(23)
HR MIL: none
W: Jesus Narvaez(4-3 4.34) L: Mike Nikorak(1-2 5.54)
They had to spoil that one, had they?

News:
Nationals SP Joe Cavallaro(27, 2.5/3*) used his chance to escape the bullpen and threw a 4-hitter with 0BB and 7K in a 5-0 road win over Philadelphia today. The right-hander was a part of the Brewers – Iglésias deal and with Big Cheese seeing his season end with a separated shoulder yesterday, this deal looks good for Washington as Cavallaro alone is 4-2 10SV 2.75 62 in 52IP.

Astros SP Peter Lambert(25, 2.5/4*) threw eight innings of 2-hit, 1BB and 6K ball en route to a 3-0 victory over the Rangers tonight. A second round selection in 2015, he is in his fourth year in the majors and second in the rotation and is 13-7 3.19 125K in 30 starts.

Twins C Mike Zunino(31, 3*) shows no signs of slowing down, going 2-3 2R 5RBI BB with two home runs in a 8-0 win over Detroit. The 2019 AL All-Star has been hitting bombs all season long, batting .273-31-79 .834OPS in 120 games.

September 11th

Urias Uses Extra Day of Rest to Blank Cardinals

Julio Urias of the Milwaukee Brewers humiliated the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park today, spinning a complete game shutout and holding the visitors to 2 hits.

"He stayed aggressive and his ball was really moving," said St. Louis manager Trent Jewett, after the game. Urias whiffed 10 and walked 2 in the 11-0 win.

"If I make good pitches, I'm going to get some outs," Urias said. "I was making good pitches the entire game."

Urias has made 29 starts so far this year and put up a 18-5 won-lost record with a 2.79 ERA. In 193.1 innings he has allowed 147 hits, walked 47 and struck out 227.

He got more than enough offense by his team as Jake Turnbull alone drove in five. The Milwaukee catcher went 2-5 with 2 runs scored, 5RBI's and a couple of home runs on a day where the Brewers collected 17 hits.

They will get an offday on Monday before playing host to the 62-80 Cubs and healthy shortstop Addison Russell(.300-7-23 .814OPS 63G).

CHC 3 – CIN 2
ARI 6 – PIT 5

MIL 102-41 CLINCHED
CIN 71-71
PIT 71-73
CHC 62-80
STL 57-85

Jose Cisnero(R, 4-16 5.40) – Carlos Rodon(L, 15-7 3.30) the day after tomorrow. Once the ace of the Reds, now he leads the NL in losses.

SP Julio Urias 9IP 2H 0R 0ER 2BB 10K, 0-3 R
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-4 R RBI
CF Aaron Brown 2-5 2R 2RBI HR
C Jake Turnbull 2-5 2R 5RBI 2HR
2B Devin Mann 3-5 R
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-4 2R RBI BB TP
1B Justin Hancock 3-5 2RBI DB
3B Mason Templet 3-4 2R
HR STL: none
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(35), Jake Turnbull 2(19)
W: Julio Urias(18-5 2.79) L: Pedro Beltran(7-15 5.13)
Oo, Julio and Brownie are getting hot...

News:
Royals SP Nick Sprengel(25, 2/2.5*) showed off his ability to go deep into any ballgame, throwing a 9-hitter with 0BB and 6K while blanking Toronto 4-0. A 6th round selection in 2015, he is now a 17-game winner, going 17-6 3.47 140K in 29 starts.

Mets RF Yasiel Puig(31, 5*) is in fine form these days, going 3-5 2R 5RBI with two doubles and a solo home run in a 10-3 win in Atlanta. The 7x All-Star is batting .311-25-94 .930OPS in 139 games.

Week: 5-2(3-1@ PIT, 2-1vs CHC)
Power Rankings: #1(+-0)
Runs scored: 726(2)
Runs against: 463(2)
Starters ERA: 3.10(1)
Bullpen ERA: 2.67(3)
Defensive Eff.: .708(3)
Fan Interest: 94

Who's hot?
SP Julio Urias 3G 2-1 1.93 23.1IP 31K
SP Frank Lopez 2G 2-0 1.08 16.2IP 17K
LHRP Justus Sheffield 16G 2-0 0.47 19IP 26K

CF Aaron Brown 10G 16-44 .364 6HR 11RBI's

Who's not?
nobody

Red Sox RF Justin Williams(27, 3.5*) was named AL Player of the Week after going 10-26 4HR 7RBI's. The 2019 AL MvP while with Tampa Bay, he is batting .249-26-69 .765OPS in 125 games.

Mets SS Tremaine Speas(24, 4*) was named NL Player of the Week after going 13-23 0HR 6RBI's. The young glove wizard is batting .276-13-66 .787OPS in 139 games and en route to a 5.6WAR season if he continues like this.

[Griever20]

Confidental Analysis: Lower Minors Prospects
September 12th, 2022
From: logan.white@milbrew.mlb
To: kc.martin@milbrew.mlb, mark.attanasio@milbrew.mlb, kevin.towers@milbrew.mlb

Hey boss,

Here the annual report of our lower minors. Note that these guys are two or more years away from breaking into the majors and these are only the guys WE like... the OSA has some more guys on its list that are no good.

As you can see, there are only three big guys on that list and all of them are batters. I know that you are not too keen on speedsters without good OBP, so you are going to sniff over Valenszuela.
I have to admit that our first rounder in Cristián Rochez looks like nothing special, hit .179 in rookie ball, and may be a bust.

SP Jesús González(18) AZL Brewers
Acquired: 2nd Round Pick in 2022 Draft
MIL Scouting Department: 0.5/3* 15/14/12(pot.) 12 stamina
OSA: 0.5/4.5* 17/16/13(pot.) 12 stamina

Our second round selection, he did quite well for a 18-year old in rookie ball these days. He DOES generate alot of groundballs an managed to strike out 8.1 per nine in the AZL. He has to put alot of work into his control and I personally don't quite see the ace ceiling, but I'm ready to get surprised. The stuff certainly is there with a low 90's fastball, a sinker, slider changeup and a almost MLB ready forkball. Also should repeat rookie ball but that depends on his form in minor league camp next year.

R: 1-7 4.06 12GS 62IP 56K 21BB

1B Tich Dinh(18) Helena Brewers
Acquired: 4th Round Pick in 2022 Draft
MIL Scouting Department: 0.5/4.5* 14/12/18/11/10(pot.) 8/9/5 speed/stealing/baserunning
OSA: 0.5/5* 16/14/17/13/12(pot.) 8/10/3 speed/stealing/baserunning

Dinh is off to the usual slow start in rookie ball, but still could be one hell of a hitter once developed. He is coming around nicely at first base and has flashed some extra base power and two home runs. Will need at least one, maybe two more years in rookie ball, and still has option #2: Become a pitcher. Still a better first year in rookie ball than Blackburn had last season.

R: .226/.258/.306 2HR 20RBI 75G

1B/LF Tim 'Big Train' Blackburn(19) AZL Brewers
Acquired: 1st Round Pick in 2021 Draft
MIL Scouting Department: 0.5/4.55* 12/14/18/7/12(pot.) 4/6/7 speed/stealing/baserunning
OSA: 0.5/5* 14/17/20/10/12(pot.) 4/6/8 speed/stealing/baserunning

The OSA's ratings have risen, we have dropped some of his ratings. That being said, his 2022 campaign was a step forward as he doubled the number of doubles hit, got the batting average up to .269 and hit his first professional home run. What we criminally underestimated are his outfield skills... he could become a almost perfect left fielder. His arm is too weak to play anywhere else, but if Moniak drops off the table in 3-4 years, Blackburn could be the guy.

R: .269/.322/.356 1HR 20RBI 56G

CF José Valenszuela(18) DSL Brewers
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent
MIL Scouting Department: 0.5/4.5* 13/9/13/9/9(pot.) 20/15/11 speed/stealing/baserunning
OSA: 0.5/5* 13/15/12/12/15(pot.) 20/14/8 speed/stealing/baserunning

Speed drives this talent evaluation. He will be a Gold Glove candidate in the outfield, but has problems to put his speed on the board when it comes to stolen bases. Valenszuela is not quite polished when it comes to reading the pitcher's delievery and has run into outs here and there. His batted ball profile shows that he is more of a flyball hitter which means he does not utilize his speed to run out grounders anyways. Still, there is an interesting ceiling, tho the OSA is a bit hotter on him. Will repeat R ball next year to get the bat going.

R: .217/.248/.334 1HR 15RBI 9/13SB 70G

[Griever20]

Week 24: 3vs Chicago Cubs(62-80), 3vs Seattle Mariners(76-67)

September 12th
offday

CIN 7 – PIT 5
STL 5 – LAA 7
CHC offday

MIL 102-41 CLINCHED
CIN 72-71
PIT 71-74
CHC 62-80
STL 57-86

News:
Tigers SP Angel L. Sanchez(32, 2.5*) threw a complete game today, beating the White Sox 6-2, posting a 9IP 6H 2R 0ER 1BB 7K game. The veteran bounced around alot lately but is 10-10 3.68 127K in 28 starts.

Phillies SP Kyle Crick(29, 3*) threw eight scoreless innings of 4-hit, 2BB and 7K ball in a 2-0 victory over the Mets that puts them up by six in the NL East. The former Giant hurler has moved to 15-5 3.55 158K in 29 starts.

Rangers 1B Rougned Odor(28, 1.5*) was vintage for his standards today, going 3-4 R 4RBI BB DB with a home run in a 10-3 victory over the Mariners. Once the batting champ in 2018, injuries have taken its toll on him as he is batting .279-4-27 .707OPS in 83 games.

September 13th

Prior to the game, Mr. Neuhaus was activated off the DL and brought in to play third base, pushing a surprisingly solid Mason Templet(.298-0-3 .736OPS) to the bench again.

Hancock Breaks Hearts in Walk-Off Win

The Milwaukee Brewers picked up a win at Miller Park, knocking off the Chicago Cubs, 4-3. Starting pitcher Carlos Rodon, who captured player of the game honors, was a big reason why. He matched Jose Cisnero for six innings of 3-run ball.

Corey Knebel picked up the win in relief, improving his record to 4-4. Nick Rumbelow was tagged with the loss. Milwaukee has an impressive 103-41 record.

Justin Hancock was the walk-off hero for Milwaukee. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Brewers pinch hitter hit a dramatic solo home run to send the teams home. "I'm just happy to help the team win," Hancock told the Milwaukee Daily News.

Milwaukee jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the early going with José Vásquez hitting a 2-run home run in the first and Jesus Gonzalez a solo home run in the second, but Chicago came back with two home runs on their own.

CIN 4 – PIT 11
PIT CF Reggie Pruitt(25, 2/2.5*) 3-3 R 4RBI BB 2DB TP
STL 4 – LAA 1

MIL 103-41 CLINCHED
CIN 72-72
PIT 72-74
CHC 62-81
STL 58-86

Adbert Alzolay(R, 10-5 3.28) – Jefferson Vergara(R, 16-5 2.87) tomorrow. A very good season for the rookie.

SP Carlos Rodon 6IP 3H 3R 3ER 3BB 7K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-4 R
1B José Vásquez 1-3 R 2RBI HR
LF Brent Keys 1-2
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI HR
PH Justin Hancock 1-1 R RBI HR
HR CHC: Javier Baez(24), Nick Plummer(19)
HR MIL: José Vásquez(25), Jesus Gonzalez(28), Justin Hancock(4)
W: Corey Knebel(4-4 2.39) L: Nick Rumbelow(5-4 2.90)
And I thought Knebel would blow it...

News:
Yankees SP Mike Badger(24, 5*) blanked the Rays for a complete game 4-hitter, walking two and striking out four while pushing his ERA close to two. A first time All-Star this season, he has been absolutely fantastic for them, 13-7 2.01 181K in 30 starts.

Phillies SP Martin Perez(31, 4*) had his hand in the second shutout of the Mets in two day, 2-0, by throwing 8IP 4H 0ER 1BB 6K for the win. The 2x All-Star is 18-3 2.54 155K in 30 starts.

Orioles SS Cesar Trejo(25, 2/2.5*) was an offensive force in a 8-3 win over the Red Sox, going 3-4 3R 3RBI DB with two home runs. A fourth round pick in 2016 by Cincinnati, Trejo is a september callup and is 7-17 2HR 3RBI's since.

September 14th

Aaand we activated Billy McKinney, emptying the major league DL.

Brewers Score Late, Upend Cubs, 6-4

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs, 6-4, at Miller Park. Milwaukee shortstop Wilkerman Garcia was named player of the game for his superb performance. He went 2-3 with 2 singles and 2 walks, while adding 2 RBI. Milwaukee reliever Cliff Walker was the winner. His record is now 1-0. The losing pitcher was Gerardo Reyes. Milwaukee leads the National League Central Division by 32 games.

Garcia had a game-changing single in the bottom of the eighth. On a 2-1 fastball from Gerardo Reyes, he banged a run-scoring single to center, giving the Brewers a 5-4 lead. It was the 170th hit of the year for Garcia.

"We've got a great group of guys," Garcia said, "and we're having fun right now." They got a little scare in the top of the seventh when Tom Harlan complained about some hamstring pain and left the game. Mike Matheny told the media later today that it seems to be a mild hammy strain that won't affect his pitching too much and should be gone in a week.

CIN 3 – PIT 4
STL 7 – LAA 3

MIL 104-41 CLINCHED
CIN 72-73
PIT 73-74
CHC 62-82
STL 59-86

Trevor Clifton(R, 12-11 3.45) – Dave Hall(R, 3-4 4.20) tomorrow. After all those guys they signed and traded for, this homegrown guy is their ace this year at age 27.

SP Jefferson Vergara 6IP 7H 4R 3ER 0BB 6K, 1-2 R DB
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-3 2RBI 2BB SB(39)
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4 RBI BB DB
CF Aaron Brown 2-4 RBI BB
C Jake Turnbull 1-4 R BB
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-3 2R BB
2B Devin Mann 1-4 RBI
HR CHC: Drew Lugbauer(34), Kris Bryant(24)
HR MIL: none
W: Cliff Walker(1-0 8.64) L: Gerardo Reyes(0-2 3.27) SV: Corey Knebel(42 2.35)
After going 0-2 with a walk yesterday, Tucker got his first knock today and scored twice. Hopefully, he will be ready and balling for the playoffs.

News:
Phillies SP Jefry Rodriguez(29, 3/3.5*) blanked the Mets 5-0 to get his team's magic number down to 10, throwing a complete game 4-hitter with 1BB and 9 strikeouts. Pitching in his sophomore year, he is 15-7 3.55 146K in 30 starts.

Rays SP Matt Moore(33, 4.5*) pitched eight scoreless in a 2-0 victory over the Yankees, allowing two hits and two walks apiece while whiffing eight. The 5x All-Star is 15-5 2.65 194K in 28 starts.

September 15th

Cubs Beat Brewers in 10

The Chicago Cubs downed the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-3, at Miller Park. The Cubs were led by Eloy Jimenez, who captured player of the game honors. He belted 2 home runs. He drove in 3 runs and scored twice. Chicago is now 63-82.

Addison Russell had the most critical at-bat for Chicago. With two in the top of the tenth inning, Russell hit a first pitch fastball from Ronny Carvajal for a 3-run home run. It put Chicago in front, 6-3.

"We played a good game and came out on top," said Jimenez. The tough luck loss was tagged on Corey Knebel who left the game with one on and two out after a Nick Plummer infield single, and had to watch Ronny Carjaval blow it.

The Brewers will stay at home and play host to the 77-69 Mariners and Alex Jackson(.281-39-103 .875OPS) in some interesting interleague play.

CIN 7 – STL 5
CIN LF Bob Ramsey(25, 4/4.5*) 3-4R 2RBI BB DB HR(25)
PIT offday

MIL 104-42 CLINCHED
CIN 73-73
PIT 73-74
CHC 63-82
STL 59-87

Taijuan Walker(R, 7-6 3.53) – Frank Lopez(L, 18-2 2.47) tomorrow. An All-Star this season, he got selected despite pitching in relief all June.

SP Dave Hall 7IP 6H 3R 3ER 1BB 9K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-3 R RBI HR
PH/SS Shane Benes 1-1 2RBI BB
CF Aaron Brown 2-5 DB
C Jake Turnbull 1-5
2B Devin Mann 1-2 R 2BB
RF Jesus Gonzalez 0-2 R 2BB
HR CHC: Addison Russell(8), Eloy Jimenez 2(10)
HR MIL: Wilkerman Garcia(18)
W: Adam Liberatore(7-7 4.64) L: Corey Knebel(4-5 2.43)
For once, I don't blame Corey here...

News:
Blue Jays SP Stephen Strasburg(34, 4.5*) has been flying under the radar after missing the start of the season with shoulder inflammation, but threw a 9IP 5H 1ER 1BB 10K beauty in a 12-1 win over Oakland. The 4x All-Star is 5-4 3.27 85K in 14 starts since returning from injury and a huge reason why they lead the AL East by 6.5 games.

Padres SP Leomar Pereda(24, 4*) threw eight strong in a 4-0 road win over Atlanta, yielding five hits, 0BB and fanning eight. Closing in on his first arbitration hearing, the changeup artist is 3-4 4.18 43K in just nine starts due to a torn back muscle that cost him four months.

Red Sox CF Byron Buxton(28, 4.5*) hit two bigflies in a 13-6 rout of the Orioles, going 2-4 2R 4RBI BB 2HR for the night. The 4x Silver Slugger is batting .299-4-7 .853OPS in 21 games as he missed most of the year after getting hit in the head by a pitch in spring training.

September 16th

Victory Over Mariners Takes Milwaukee to 105-42

Milwaukee rode a fine outing from starter Frank Lopez to victory over the Seattle Mariners at Miller Park. The final score was 4-1. Lopez picked up the win for Milwaukee, going 6 innings. He gave up 1 run on 1 hits. He now sports a record of 19-2. Anthony Molina, credited with the save, is now 8 for 9 in save opportunities. Milwaukee has an impressive 105-42 record.

The Brewers used some clutch hitting to beat the Mariners, a good example being the at-bat of Jake Turnbull in the bottom of the fifth. With two down, Turnbull gave his team the lead, 3-1, when he hit a 2-run home run. Aaron Brown had already singled in a run before that, and José Vásquez went deep aswell for back-to-back homers.

"Baseball is about momentum," said Turnbull, "and we feel we've got it in our favor after that win." Turnbull has been great this season, batting .321-20-58 .914OPS in 128 games and has a good shot at his first Silver Slugger Award of his career.

CIN 6 – STL 5(13)
PIT 5 – CHC 6
CHC SS Addison Russell(28, 4.5*) 2-32R 3RBI BB TP HR(9)

MIL 105-42 CLINCHED
CIN 74-73
PIT 73-75
CHC 64-82
STL 59-88

Sean Newcomb(L, 14-6 3.01) – Mike Nikorak(R, 1-2 5.54) tomorrow. Newcomb is the second head of the three-headed hydra that is the top of their rotation so...

SP Frank Lopez 6IP 1H 1R 1ER 1BB 8K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 R BB SB(40)
CF Aaron Brown 2-5 R RBI SB(4)
C Jake Turnbull 1-2 R 2RBI 2BB HR
1B José Vásquez 1-4 R RBI HR
2B Devin Mann 1-3
PH Billy McKinney 1-1 DB
HR SEA: none
HR MIL: José Vásquez(26), Jake Turnbull(20)
W: Frank Lopez(19-2 2.44) L: Taijuan Walker(7-7 3.69) SV: Anthony Molina(8 1.55)
Those are six nice 1-hit innings for Lopez. Neuhaus is still looking for his second hit since coming off the DL, 1-2 3BB 2R.

News:
Mets SP Tristin English(25, 3*) mowed down the Padres 11-0 today, throwing a 4-hitter with 0BB and 9K for his twelfth win of the season. Collecting his fourth career shutout, he moved to 12-4 3.50 103K in 21 starts.

Rockies 1B Chaney Rogers(24, 3.5/4*) was not retired today, going 3-3 3R 2RBI 2BB with a home run in a 9-1 victory over the Giants. While regarded as a pull hitter, he is not a home run hitter, batting .342-10-81 .920OPS in 142 while playing half of his games at Coors.

September 17th

Brewers Slip Past Seattle in Extras, 2-1

Seattle wasted a solid 8-inning effort from starting pitcher Sean Newcomb, losing to Milwaukee, 2-1, at Miller Park. Newcomb allowed only five hits and one earned run while striking out six. The Brewers have an impressive 106-42 record.

Milwaukee won the game in the bottom of the tenth inning. With one out and Andrew McKirahan on the mound for Seattle, left fielder Mickey Moniak hit a dramatic solo home run, bringing Brewers fans to their feet.

"This place was electric at the end," Moniak said. The win went to Anthony Molina who threw two scoreless innings of 1-hit ball, following up two scoreless frames of Tom Harlan in a efficient bullpen day by the Brewers.

CIN 1 – STL 3
STL SP Graham Lawson(24, 4/4.5*) 8IP 6H 1ER 1BB 4K W(10-7 3.86)
PIT 3 – CHC 5

MIL 106-42 CLINCHED
CIN 74-74
PIT 73-76
CHC 65-82
STL 60-88

Lance Lynn(R, 13-13 3.79) – Julio Urias(L, 18-5 2.79) tomorrow. Pretty good #4 starter, he is 82-83 with a 3.68ERA in parts of seven seasons since coming over in 2016.

SP Mike Nikorak 6IP 7H 1R 1ER 2BB 6K
2B Devin Mann 2-4
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-4 R RBI HR
1B José Vásquez 1-4
LF Mickey Moniak 2-3 R RBI HR
HR SEA: Tyler Heinemann(14)
HR MIL: Jesus Gonzalez(29), Mickey Moniak(28)
W: Anthony Molina(3-4 1.51) L: Andrew McKirahan(8-6 2.99)
And as ordered, Jesus Gonzalez went deep against the lefty... and is still hitting .224.

News:
In a interesting deal that is all about the future, the Marlins acquired Reds SP Antonio Santillan(25, 3.5/4*, 5-10 5.05 156K 26GS) and $2.04M of cash. The twist: Santillan is on the DL with shoulder inflammation and will be out for four more months. Why they are allowed to trade injured players... I don't know, the option is disabled. The Reds got back #114 prospect SP Ben Green(22, 2.5* HS, 3* OSA) and a minor outfield prospect.

Royals SP Nick Sprengel(25, 2/2.5*) added to his dream season with a 4-hit shutout of the Orioles, walking two and striking out six in a 2-0 win. The lefty is enjoying his first year in the rotation, going 18-6 3.30 146K in 30 starts, leading the AL in wins by two.

Nationals SP Jon Niese(35, 2*) his having one of those great seasons by a veteran pitcher, throwing 8.1 scoreless in a 3-0 victory over Atlanta today. Part of Colorado's World Series team in 2019, he is 10-11 3.01 130K in 29 starts on a 1y/$3.44M deal.

September 18th

Mariners Top Brewers in Ten

The Seattle Mariners got a strong performance from pitcher Lance Lynn, who stymied the Milwaukee offense en route to a 2-0 win at Miller Park. The second-place Mariners lifted their record to 78-71.

Lynn, who dominated for Seattle, earned the victory to move to 14-13. He was in control the whole game, scattering 4 hits over 9.1 innings, while striking out 5. Milwaukee batters could never bunch up enough hits to produce a rally.

"Good win for us, tough loss for them," said Lynn. He got the lead in the top of the tenth when third baseman Lachlan Fontaine broke through for a solo home run off Brewers finest Corey Knebel, and another run scored that inning.

All that wasted 8.1 scoreless innings of 2-hit ball by Julio Urias. The Brewers will go on the road to face the 62-88 Giants and outfielder Kyle Survance(.266-15-51 .781OPS) for four.

CIN 5 – STL 4
PIT 3 – CHC 2(14)

MIL 106-43 CLINCHED
CIN 75-74
PIT 74-76
CHC 65-83
STL 60-89

Carlos Rodon(L, 15-7 3.34) – Rafael Montero(R, 8-11 4.12) tomorrow. Once an interesting Mets prospect, he had a nice strech of baseball with Detroit, but was let go into free agency after last season.

SP Julio Urias 8.1IP 2H 0R 0ER 0BB 7K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 DB
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 DB
2B Devin Mann 1-4
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-4
HR SEA: Lachlan Fontaine(18)
HR MIL: none
W: Lance Lynn(14-13 3.60) L: Corey Knebel(4-6 2.65) SV: Andrew McKirahan(20 2.96)
Two weeks till the playoffs and our offense slowly cooled down in the last two games... no reason to hit the panic button...

Week: 4-2(2-1vs CHC, 2-1vs SEA)
Power Rankings: #1(+-0)
Runs scored: 745(3)
Runs against: 480(1)
Starters ERA: 3.18(1)
Bullpen ERA: 2.66(3)
Defensive Eff.: .710(3)
Fan Interest: 94

Who's hot?
SP Julio Urias 2G 1-0 0.00 17.1IP 17K
SP Frank Lopez 3G 3-0 1.19 22.2IP 25K
LHRP Justus Sheffield 16G 2-0 0.47 19IP 26K

CF Aaron Brown 10G 16-44 .364 6HR 11RBI's

Who's not?
nobody

Indians 1B Alex Briggs(26, 4*) was named AL Player of the Week after going 10-26 4HR 5RBI's. Part of maybe the biggest trade of 2022, he is batting .299-31-77 .948OPS in 112 games since coming over.

Reds LF Bob Ramsey(25, 4/4.5*) was named NL Player of the Week after going 16-31 4HR 10RBI's. Playing in his rookie year, the 2020 tenth overall pick is batting .281-26-90 .839OPS on 126 games.

[Griever20]

With two weeks of play left, things are pretty clear in the AL. The Blue Jays tumbled a bit in August with a 10-19 record, but are 8-7 since and basically have been in the driver seat since a 19-9 May. With Stephen Strasburg(34, 4.5*, 5-4 3.27 85K 14GS), Zach Greinke(38, 4*, 13-10 3.83 130K 30GS) and Mat Latos(34, 4*, 10-7 3.80 132K 30GS), they have a veteran starting rotation and they lead the AL in runs scored behind the big bat of 1B Ryan 'Rowdy' Tellez(27, 3*, .232-37-101 .761OPS).

In the central, the Indians hold a three game lead over the Tigers and with a 10-7 month of September, they are in decent form. With reigning AL Cy Young winner Kevin Gausman(31, 4.5*, 13-13 3.73 184K 31GS), surprise of the season Casey Shane(27, 4/4.5*, 14-10 3.05 125K 30GS) and young gun Easton McGee(24, 4.5*, 16-9 3.32 162K 31GS), they have allowed the least runs in the AL. Offensively, their leadoff man in CF Juan 'Locomotive' Méndez(23, 4.5/5*, .303-0-47 .679OPS 91R 34/46SB) shows why I wanted to sign him... 1B Alex Briggs(26, 4*, .299-31-77 .948OPS 112G) has been the trade steal of the season and Manny Machado(30, 4.5*, .305-20-90 .834OPS 147G) has come along after a cold start.

The Rangers of Texas have pretty much wrapped up things in the West and did it on both sides of the ball, being fourth in runs scored and runs against. SP Carlos Martinez(30, 4*, 14-10 3.69 167K 33GS) and ex-Brewer Jose Berrios(28, 4*, 14-8 3.40 141K 31GS) have come along nicely in the rotation, helped by some impressive defense, and Joey Gallo(28, 4.5*, .249-32-81 .881OPS 114G) is bringing the power once again.

The NL is pretty much decided apart from the second Wild Card... and which East team is the first one. The Phillies certainly are in the pole position these days for the East pennant, but took a big hit yesterday when ace SP Martin Perez(31, 4*, 18-4 .266 157K 31GS) went on the DL with a oblique strain that will make him miss three weeks and a potential NLDS against Colorado. That will make them rely even more heavily on the multi-headed monster that is their offense, and with SS J.P. Crawford(27, 4.5*, .263-17-60 .761OPS 111R 33/40SB), 2B António Molina(26, 5*, .326-10-90 .939OPS 107R 54/64SB), 1B Jeffrey Zimmerman(30, 4*, .267-35-126 .867OPS) and rookie C Thomas Dillard(25, 3.5/4*, .233-35-100 .783OPS), that is not a bad backup plan.

The Mets however have not given up, and with aces like M.D. Johnson(25, 5*, 14-7 2.33 238K 31GS) and Stephen Kolek(25, 4*, 15-11 2.85 149K 31GS), their roation is as scary as ours in a playoff scenario, and right fielder Yasiel Puig(31, 5*, .305-26-97 .910OPS) and 2B Edwin Lora(27, 4.5*, .264-33-78 .901OPS), their offense has some beautiful weapons.

Make no mistake, the 2019 World Series champs are back in the business. Rolling out a rotation that is putting up the usual horrible numbers, Colorado's offense already has scored 859 runs, that is 5,8 runs per game. The NL Batting Title is 3B César 'Bloody' Gutiérrez(24, 4.5*, .350-17-81 .970OPS 114R 34/40SB)' to lose and with five hitters with a batting average above .300, they don't homer you to death... they single you to death.

[Griever20]

Week 25: 4@ San Francisco Giants(62-88), 3@ Chicago Cubs(65-83)

September 19th

Giants Lose Again. 5-1, to Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers starter Carlos Rodon was definitely locked-in. He led his team to a win over the San Francisco Giants, 5-1. In 7 innings, Rodon surrendered 6 hits, while striking out 4 and walking 0. He allowed 1 run. António Gómez, credited with the save, is now 2 for 2 in save opportunities, coming in to get the final out in a messy ninth inning.

Milwaukee took a 3-1 lead on Wilkerman Garcia's 176th hit of the season. The run-scoring single, which Garcia hit in the top of the seventh, left San Francisco pitcher Cody Deason visibly frustrated. Garcia was 3-5 with a run scored, 2 RBI's and two doubles.

"I like our moxie," said Brewers manager Mike Matheny. Mickey Moniak and Jesus Gonzalez both hit solo shots later in the game aswell. The Brewers own a robust 107-43 mark.

SDP 5 – STL 4
CIN 10 – CHC 3
CIN LF Bob Ramsey(25, 4/4.5*) 3-4 2R 5RBI BB 2HR(28)
PIT 1 – TEX 2

MIL 107-43 CLINCHED
CIN 76-74
PIT 74-77
CHC 65-84
STL 60-90

Jefferson Vergara(R, 16-5 2.92) – Logan Webb(R, 13-11 3.36) tomorrow. Webb is a tough customer that has ace written all over him... his stuff is rated 20/20 by our scouting department.

SP Carlos Rodon 7IP 6H 1R 1ER 0BB 4K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 3-5 R 2RBI 2DB
LF Mickey Moniak 2-4 R RBI HR
CF Aaron Brown 2-4 RBI BB
2B Devin Mann 1-4 R
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-4 R RBI HR
PH Brent Keys 1-1 R
HR MIL: Mickey Moniak(29), Jesus Gonzalez(30)
HR SFG: none
W: Carlos Rodon(16-7 3.27) L: Rafael Montero(8-12 4.08) SV: António Gómez(2 2.27)
Given that our scouts think he has still room for growth, Gómez has now 39.2 strong rookie innings under his belt.

News:
Mariners SP Matt Harvey(33, 4.5*) is in form these days, throwing a complete game 5-1 win over the Tigers, allowing two hits, one run, 2 walks and striking out six. The 2x Cy Young winner pushed his ERA under three with that start, 13-10 2.99 184K in 32 starts.

September 20th

Brewers Clean Away Webb, Win 4-2

The Milwaukee Brewers got a strong performance from pitcher Jefferson Vergara, who stymied the San Francisco offense en route to a 4-2 win at AT&T Park. Vergara picked up the win for Milwaukee, going 7 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. He now sports a record of 17-5. Corey Knebel converted his 43rd save in 49 tries.

"I'm just happy to help the team win," Vergara told the Milwaukee Daily News.

Jake Turnbull didn't waste any time giving his team the lead. His first time up in the top of the first, he cranked a run-scoring single to put Milwaukee on top, 1-0. Turnbull is still fifth in the batting race while hitting for a .317 clip.

His teammate Wilkerman Garcia, who homered today, is third while batting .326, but it seems like one of the Rockies in César Gutíerrez(.351) or Chad Rogers(.344) will win that one.

The last-place Giants have lost 7 straight games despite Logan Webb throwing eight inning s of 4-run, 6-hit, 2BB and 10K ball.

SDP 0 – STL 4
STL SP Jorge Hernandez(31, 1.5*) 9IP 8H 0ER 1BB 3K W(3-8 3.63)
CIN 1 – CHC 6
PIT 5 – TEX 3

MIL 108-43 CLINCHED
CIN 76-75
PIT 75-77
CHC 66-84
STL 61-90

Dave Hall(R, 3-4 4.17) – Bud Hensley(R, 3-3 2.86) tomorrow. 5th overall pick in 2020, good stuff, good movement, fringe control, but had a good start to his career in nine starts.

SP Jefferson Vergara 7IP 4H 2R 0ER 1BB 7K, 1-3 RBI
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 R RBI HR
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4 R
CF Aaron Brown 1-4
C Jake Turnbull 1-4 RBI
1B José Vásquez 1-3 R 2SB(30)
HR MIL: Wilkerman Garcia(19)
HR SFG: none
W: Jefferson Vergara(17-5 2.81) L: Logan Webb(13-12 3.40) SV: Corey Knebel(43 2.61)
Another rock solid win, I take those for the rest of the week...

News:
Mariners SP Tyler Pike(28, 1.5*) followed up Matt Harvey's great start with a gem of his own, a 5-hitter with 0BB and 8K in a 6-0 win in Detroit. The lefty has been rock solid for years for them, posting his best season this year, 11-8 2.94 139K in 30 starts.

September 21st

Brewers Take 5-3 Win in Ten

The Brewers had to overcome a good performance from San Francisco pitcher Bud Hensley to claim a 5-3 win at AT&T Park. Hensley went 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. The current losing streak for San Francisco has reached 8 games.

José Vásquez had the most critical at-bat for Milwaukee. With two in the top of the tenth inning, Vásquez hit a first pitch fastball from Nabil Crismatt for a 2-run single. It put Milwaukee in front, 5-3.

"We'll relax tonight and get back after it tomorrow," Vásquez said after the game. The win went to Corey Knebel who threw two scoreless innings of 1-hit and 3 strikeout ball.

The Brewers were down 3-2 in the top of the ninth, facing the same Nabil Crismatt, and managed to tie the game when the same José Vásquez singled, reached second on a bunt, third on a stolen base, and home plate on a wild pitch.

SDP 7 – STL 12
STL RF Stu Escamilla(21, 4.5/5*) 2-3 2R 4RBI 2BB 2HR(30)
CIN 6 – CHC 3
PIT 3 – TEX 8

MIL 109-43 CLINCHED
CIN 77-75
PIT 75-78
CHC 66-85
STL 62-90

Frank Lopez(L, 19-2 2.44) – Tyler Beede(R, 11-9 3.25) tomorrow. More great stuff, decent movement, fringe control. Pitching was not their problem this season.

SP Dave Hall 6IP 6H 3R 3ER 4BB 5K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-4 R RBI BB DB
CF Aaron Brown 0-4 R BB
1B José Vásquez 2-5 R 2RBI SB(31)
2B Devin Mann 0-3 R BB
RF Jesus Gonzalez 0-3 R BB
HR MIL: none
HR SFG: none
W: Corey Knebel(5-6 2.54) L: Nabil Crismatt(2-12 4.76)
Ok, their closer has not been any good this season... he is a 27-year old rookie that DOES look good on the mound... up until the ball makes contact with the bat.

News:
Red Sox SP Eduardo Rodriguez(29, 3.5/4*) threw a 3-hitter with 0BB and 8K today, beating their division rival from Tampa Bay 5-0. The lefty is having his usual 3.xxERA year, going 16-7 3.80 166K in 33 starts.

September 22nd

Marrero, Beede, Star in Giants Win

San Francisco catcher Elih Marrero was a significant contributor in his team's 6-1 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 times and driving in 3 for San Francisco. With the win, the Giants improved to 63-91.

In the bottom of the first, Billy Butler hit a 2-run home run for San Francisco. The 10th home run of the season for the San Francisco first baseman put the Giants on top, 2-0.

"I felt we were ready to go," said San Francisco manager Teuji Okamoto. "Our pregame was pretty good." Also, the start by Giants righty Tyler Beede was pretty good as he went seven innings of 1-run, 3-hit, 3BB and 7K ball against one of the best lineups in the NL.

The Brewers will continue their roadtrip as they will visit the 66-86 Cubs and catcher Drew Lugbauer(.255-35-67 .803OPS) over the weekend.

SDP 4 – STL 11
CIN 3 – CHC 1
PIT offday

MIL 109-44 CLINCHED
CIN 78-75
PIT 75-78
CHC 66-86
STL 63-90

Mike Nikorak(R, 1-2 4.78) – Jen-Ho Tseng(R, 3-5 3.65) tomorrow. Got 16 relief appearances and 11 starts, a bit longball prone.

SP Frank Lopez 4.2IP 9H 6R 5ER 2BB 2K, 1-2
SS Wilkerman Garcia 0-2 2BB
CF Aaron Brown 1-3 R RBI BB HR
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-3 BB
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(36)
HR SFG: Elih Marrero(10), Billy Butler(10)
W: Tyler Beede(12-9 3.17) L: Frank Lopez(19-3 2.61)
Yep, pitching has not been their problem and Lopez had a bad day at the office today.

News:
With a 87-65 record and a 10-2 victory over the Diamondbacks, the Rockies have clinched the NL West for the FIRST TIME in franchise history.

Orioles SP Brian Gonzalez(26, 4.5*) pitched off his amazing changeup, going eight scoreless of 3-hit, 2BB and 12K ball in a 4-0 victory over the Angels. An All-Star last season he is 11-7 3.02 256K in 32 starts, already having matched his career high in strikeouts from last season.

September 23rd

Cubs Stymie Milwaukee, Take 2-1 Win

In a tight battle between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers, pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng was in the zone. The Chicago right-hander was named the player of the game in Chicago's 2-1 win. Adam Liberatore closed the door for Chicago, picking up his 13th save of the year. The Cubs' win now puts them at 67-86.

The Cubs used some clutch hitting to beat the Brewers, a good example being the at-bat of Drew Lugbauer in the bottom of the first. With two down, Lugbauer gave his team the lead, 2-0, when he hit a 2-run home run.

"We squandered some opportunities," said Milwaukee manager Mike Matheny. His team only managed four hits tonight and left three runners on as a team, so maybe Matheny has watched a different game.

NYM 5 - CIN 3
PIT 3 - STL 4

MIL 109-45 CLINCHED
CIN 78-76
PIT 75-79
CHC 67-86
STL 64-90

Julio Urias(L, 18-5 2.68) – Adbert Alzolay(R, 10-6 3.78) tomorrow. Pretty much pitching to his FIP and skillset, 36G and 18 starts.

SP Mike Nikorak 6IP 6H 2R 2ER 0BB 4K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-3
CF Dayton Dugas 1-3
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-3 R DB
PH Brent Keys 1-1 RBI DB
HR MIL: none
HR CHC: Drew Lugbauer(36)
W: Jen-Ho Tseng(4-5 3.44) L: Mike Nikorak(1-3 4.50) SV: Adam Liberatore(39 3.82)
Lugbauer has homered off better pitchers, so this is NOT Nikorak's fault.

News:
Mariners SP Lance Lynn(35, 3.5*) held on to a 1-run lead through eight innings of 4-hit, 0BB and 6K ball in a 1-0 victory over the Athletics. The 2x All-Star is 15-13 3.46 158K in 31 starts and holds a $17M player option for 2023.

Red Sox 3B Brandon Drury(30, 2.5*) had a big night at Fenway Park, going 4-5 2R 3RBI BB DB with two home runs in a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays. The 2020 AL Silver Slugger at second base is batting .276-21-71 .786OPS in 140 games for 2022 and is a free agent this winter.

September 24th

Brew Crew Come Back Late to Top Cubs, 6-5

Milwaukee and Chicago put this game in the books despite some rain.

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-5, at Wrigley Field. The Brewers got a fine performance from first baseman José Vásquez, who captured player of the game honors. He went 3-5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 times and drove in 2.

Vásquez said afterward that his team has grown over the course of the season, adding: "It feels good when a plan comes together." Corey Knebel closed the game out for Milwaukee, earning his 44th save.

This game was not decided until late. With one out in the top of the ninth, J.T. Realmuto hit a sacrifice fly. The Brewers took the lead, 6-5. It was a stinker of a start by Julio Urias, who only lasted 4.1 innings of 5-run ball and was bailed out by his bullpen and his offense.

Milwaukee has an impressive 110-45 record.

NYM 7 - CIN 9
PIT 1 - STL 8

MIL 110-45 CLINCHED
CIN 79-76
PIT 75-80
CHC 67-87
STL 65-90

Carlos Rodon(L, 16-7 3.27) – Trevor Clifton(R, 13-11 3.30) tomorrow. We already won the season series 11-7, so the ONLY thing I want... is some solid offensive showing.

SP Julio Urias 4.1IP 5H 5R 1ER 2BB 5K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-5 R SB(41)
CF Aaron Brown 3-5 2R RBI 2DB
1B José Vásquez 3-5 2R 2RBI DB HR
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-4 RBI DB
2B Shane Benes 1-4 BB
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-4
PH Billy McKinney 1-1 R RBI HR
HR MIL: José Vásquez(27), Billy McKinney(4)
HR CHC: Drew Lugbauer(37)
W: Anthony Molina(4-4 1.42) L: Adam Liberatore(7-8 3.78) SV: Corey Knebel(44 2.50)
So, if you have a look at Julio's statline from today... yes, Neuhaus is back at third base and has all the errors he wants...

News:
Beating the Nationals 6-5, the Philadelphia Phillies moved to 100-55, and that is enough to celebrate the NL East pennant. For manager Ryne Sandberg, this means the third playoff berth in a row and the second division title in three years.

Padres SP Mayky Perez(25, 3*) managed to beat the Diamondbacks 3-0 while throwing 8IP 5H 0ER 0BB 6K at home today. He was used as a reliever for most of the year and is 7-1 5SV 2.05 84K in 92.1IP and three starts for 2022.

Twins SP Michael Wacha(31, 4) dominated the Angels throught eight frames of 5-hit, 2BB and 8K ball, collecting a 2-0 victory. The 3x All-Star and ex-Cardinals ace is 11-13 3.13 189K in 32 starts.

September 25th

Milwaukee Bats Go Silent in 2-0 Loss

Chicago right-hander Trevor Clifton made an effective start against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, leading his team to a 2-0 win. Clifton picked up the win for Chicago, going 8 innings. He gave up no runs on 7 hits. He now sports a record of 14-11. Adam Liberatore picked up the save for Chicago, his 14th of the year.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, left fielder Eloy Jimenez delivered a key hit for the Cubs. With Chicago leading 1-0, he ripped a solo home run.

"It was a solid team effort," said Jimenez after the game. He is batting .272-11-32 .770OPS in 118 games and 78 starts. The 4th-place Cubs improved to 68-87.

The Brewers will end the regular season at home, starting with a three game set against the 75-81 Nationals and Michael A. Taylor(.263-15-71 .741OPS).

NYM 7 - CIN 3
PIT 5 - STL 2

MIL 110-46 CLINCHED
CIN 79-77
PIT 76-80
CHC 68-87
STL 65-91

Matt Garza(R, 6-12 3.73) – Jefferson Vergara(R, 17-5 2.81) tomorrow. There is the veteran again, 369 career starts.

SP Carlos Rodon 8IP 3H 2R 2ER 1BB 7K, 1-2
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-3 BB
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4
CF Aaron Brown 1-4
C Jake Turnbull 1-4
1B José Vásquez 1-4
2B Shane Benes 1-3 TP
HR MIL: none
HR CHC: Eloy Jimenez(11)
W: Trevor Clifton(14-11 3.17) L: Carlos Rodon(16-8 3.22) SV: Adam Liberatore(40 3.73)
Nope, offense is not there.

Week: 4-3(3-1@ SFG, 1-2@ CHC)
Power Rankings: #1(+-0)
Runs scored: 767(3)
Runs against: 501(1)
Starters ERA: 3.07(1)
Bullpen ERA: 2.55(1)
Defensive Eff.: .709(3)
Fan Interest: 94

Who's hot?
OF Billy McKinney 18G 8-22 .364 2HR 4RBI's

Who's not?
LF Mickey Moniak 6G 2-23 .087 0HR 0RBI's

Rangers 2B Enrico Rocha(24, 2.5/3*) was named AL Player of the Week after going 13-23 2HR 2RBI's. A scouting discovery in Venezuela way back in 2015, he is batting .266-10-26 .759OPS in 77 games and 62 starts.

Rockies 1B Chaney Rogers(24, 3.5/4*) was named NL Player of the Week after going 14-27 2HR 6RBI's. The first time All-Star this season is batting .349-12-87 .946OPS in 151 games, four points of batting average behind his teammate César Gutiérrez.

[Griever20]

So, with a week to go, the division leaders ALL have a magic number of 2... which means the chances for an upset in the last week are slim. That is also true for the Wild Card where the Mariners and Tigers have a solid 5.5 and 4.5 game lead over the challengers.

Seattle got there behind the big arms of 2x Cy Young winner Matt Harvey(33, 4.5*, 14-10 2.92 185K) and Sean Newcomb(29, 4/4.5*, 14-6 2.93 214K) and the veteran arm of Lance Lynn(35, 3.5*, 15-13 3.46 158K), putting them first in starters ERA with 3.24... and one week to go. Of course, right fielder Alex Jackson(26, 4.5*, .274-40-108 .848OPS) also had a hand in their success.

Detroit took a big hit when 6x All-Star Madison Bumgarner(33, 3.5*, 7-6 2.68 130K 19GS) left the building in July with a torn UCL, but they somehow made 7y/$144.2M man Henry Owens(30, 3.5*, 13-12 3.44 196K) work as their ace. Their offense has been top notch even without having a clear cut MvP candidate... +- OBP machine LF Dany Rojas(25, 4.5*, .280-23-76 .897OPS), who is rolling out a .421OBP these days...

Since we have faced the Reds a gazillion times, you pretty much know what they are... and it is not too impressive. Sixth in runs scored, ninth in runs against, a bad season (by his pure potential) by Austin Rubick(25, 4.5*, 12-12 4.08 168K) and a GREAT rookie season by center fielder Bob 'Bud' Ramsey(25, 4/4.5*, .288-29-99 .866OPS 132G). They have three easy games versus the Cardinals... and three hard ones against the Brewers coming up.

They are also chasing the Dodgers. A budget of $302M, player payroll of $236.7M and alot of star power. Clayton Kershaw(34, 2*, 12-12 3.47 137K) managed a solid season despite diminished velocity and zip on his pitches, and leads the team in wins despite Kiyoshi Gato(30, 4*, 11-12 3.29 166K) pitching very well. Former superstar Mike Trout(31, 3.5*, .282-3-17 .701OPS 39G) returned just in time from injury, and well... Corey Seager(28, 4.5*, .298-28-93 .883OPS) is running the show anyways. With a shy one game lead and games against Miami and St. Louis, they are in the driver seat here.

[Griever20]

Week 26: 3vs Washington Nationals(75-81), 3vs Cincinnati Reds(79-77)

September 26th

Vergara Throws 1-Hitter in 4-0 Win

Jefferson Vergara shut 'em down and shut 'em out, hurling the Milwaukee Brewers past the Washington Nationals 4-0 in a complete game victory.

"This is a game of adjustments and I made some good ones in this game," he told BNN sportswriters in the postgame interview.

Vergara held the Washington Nationals without a run, tossing a 1-hitter while walking 0 and fanning 11. To date this season Vergara has compiled a 18-5 record with a 2.68 ERA in 30 starts. Weirdly enough, there are rumors that the Brewers may be looking to sell him.

"They see a middle-of-the-rotation arm in him, making him a sell high in the offseason. He is slated for $3.2M in arbitration, and if those voices in their front office are right, they could get a huge haul." According to Baseball America, his FIP is 4.08 for the season and 3.94 for the career.

STL 1 – CIN 4(14)
CHC 4 – NYM 6
MIA 7 – PIT 10

MIL 111-46 CLINCHED
CIN 80-77
PIT 77-80
CHC 68-88
STL 65-92

Jon Niese(L, 11-11 2.95) – Dan Hall(R, 3-4 4.20) tomorrow. Lots of groundballs, great control, and a good defense behind him. Happy days for him.

SP Jefferson Vergara 9IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 11K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 DB
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4 DB
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 R RBI HR
2B Devin Mann 3-4 2R RBI HR
C J.T. Realmuto 2-4 DB
RF Dayton Dugas 2-3 R RBI HR
HR WSH: none
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(37), Devin Mann(13), Dayton Dugas(1)
W: Jefferson Vergara(18-5 2.68) L: Matt Garza(6-13 3.79)
So, that came unexpected. I still don't trust him like I do with Urias... so what, if I make a mistake when trading him, at least I don't feel bad about it...

News:
Royals SP Foster Griffin(27, 3/4.5*) may have given an indication that he could reach his high ceiling after all, going eight scoreless frames of 5-hit, 2BB and 7K in a 2-0 victory over the Tigers. The lefty moved to 5-8 1SV 3.64 94K in 121IP, 23 games and 18 starts.

Phillies C Thomas Dillard(25, 3.5/4*) flexed his muscles today, going 2-3 2R 5RBI BB with two home runs in a 6-3 victory over the Braves. The rookie is batting .234-39-114 .793OPS in 135 games.

September 27th

Brewers Spoil Souza's Big Day, Win 6-4

Washington center fielder Steven Souza was sensational. He went 3 for 4 with 2 home runs. He drove in 3 runs and scored twice, but it wasn't enough to rally his team to a win. Milwaukee beat the Nationals, 6-4. Souza was named the player of the game despite the loss. Dave Hall was the winner. Over 7 innings, he allowed 3 runs on 9 hits, with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. The Brewers have an impressive 112-46 record.

In the bottom of the first, Jesus Gonzalez hit a 2-run home run for Milwaukee. The 31st home run of the season for the Milwaukee right fielder put the Brewers on top, 2-0.

"Feels good to get the job done," Gonzalez said after the game. The right fielder is batting .296 with a 1.037OPS against left-handed pitching. Aaron Brown and José Vásquez also went deep in the win.

STL 0 – CIN 3
CIN SP Chad Rogers(33, 2*) 7IP 5H 0ER 1BB 8K W(11-12 4.47)
CHC 4 – NYM 3(13)
MIA 3 – PIT 2(10)

MIL 112-46 CLINCHED
CIN 81-77
PIT 77-81
CHC 69-88
STL 65-93

Andrew Morales(R, 13-10 3.49) – Frank Lopez(L, 19-3 2.61) tomorrow. Starting the last turn of our rotation which works out nicely. Oh, and Morales is a 29-year old with a pretty good changeup and control... Marco Estrada 2.0

SP Dave Hall 7IP 9H 3R 3ER 1BB 7K
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-4 R 2RBI HR
CF Aaron Brown 1-3 2R RBI BB HR
1B José Vásquez 3-4 2R 2RBI DB HR
3B Tucker Neuhaus 2-4 RBI
HR WSH: Steven Souza 2(9)
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(38), Jesus Gonzalez(31), José Vásquez(28)
W: Dave Hall(4-4 4.17) L: Jon Niese(11-12 3.11) SV: Corey Knebel(45 2.47)
Ok, we got Niese for 5ER in four innings and our pitching held up in the end.

News:
Making it official! The Rangers and Indians clinced the AL East and Center, and we officially eliminated the Nats from Wild Card contention.

Red Sox SP Eduardo Rodriguez(29, 3.5/4*) blanked the Giants 2-0 by throwing eight innings of 3-hit, 0BB and 4K ball. The lefty has been a fixture in their rotation since 2016 and is 17-7 3.66 170K in 34 starts in just his age 29 season.

September 28th

Brewers Sweep Penultimate Series, Win 8-3 Over Nats

Milwaukee starter Frank Lopez pitched effectively against the Washington Nationals at Miller Park. The left-hander led his team to a 8-3 win. The winning pitcher was Lopez, now 20-3. He tossed 8 innings of 5-hit ball, while walking 1 and fanning 10. Milwaukee now has a 3-game win streak.

The Brewers beat the Nationals with some clutch hitting. The home run by Tucker Neuhaus in the bottom of the third is a good example. With two down, Neuhaus gave his team the lead, 3-1, when he came through with the big hit.

"We can always improve and get better, but we're feeling confident after that win," said Neuhaus, "and I feel confident into my swing again. That injury break kinda messed up my timing, but I think it is back." He is batting .278-30-79 .822OPS in just 125 games.

The Brewers will end the regular season with a three game set with the 82-77 Reds and center fielder Bob Ramsey(.292-30-102 .878OPS) at home.

STL 2 – CIN 4
CHC 0 – NYM 10
NYM SP M.D. Johnson(25, 5*) 7.2IP 5H 0ER 2BB 9K W(15-7 2.23)
MIA 0 – PIT 2
PIT SP Brandon Cumpton(33, 1*) 9IP 4H 0ER 1BB 2K W(3-0 1.90 29K 47.1IP 28G/1GS)

MIL 113-46 CLINCHED
CIN 82-77
PIT 78-81
CHC 69-89
STL 65-94

Andrew Baker(L, 4-1 3.71) – Julio Urias(L, 18-5 2.67) tomorrow. 10th rounder in 2016, decent lefty, but nothing to write home about.

SP Frank Lopez 8IP 5H 3R 3ER 1BB 10K, 2-3
SS Wilkerman Garcia 2-3 R BB
2B Devin Mann 1-5 2RBI DB
CF Aaron Brown 1-5 R
1B José Vásquez 2-5 R DB TP
3B Tucker Neuhaus 2-5 R 3RBI HR
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-4 2R 3RBI 2HR
HR WSH: Kyle R. Martin 2, Austin Hedges(13)
HR MIL: Tucker Neuhaus(30), Jesus Gonzalez 2(33)
W: Frank Lopez(20-3 2.64) L: Andrew Morales(13-11 3.52)
The Reds are a half game behind LA, so they got everything to play for... and we want to get into the playoffs with some steam...

News:
Seattle clinched the first AL Wild Card spot tonight.

September 29th
offday

CHC 4 – MIA 5(10)
PIT, CIN, STL offday

MIL 113-46 CLINCHED
CIN 82-77
PIT 78-81
CHC 69-90
STL 65-94

News:
A horrible day for the 94-65 Mets! Starting pitcher Stephen Kolek(25, 4*), who is 15-12 2.80 158K in 33 starts this year, left his last regular season start injured and will be out 4-5 months as he will require surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow.

Padres SP Jacob Stevens(26, 4*) looked amazing in a complete game 7-1 victory over the Rockies, allowing 3 hits, 1ER, 2BB and striking out five. Acquired from Oakland last season he is 12-11 4.57 157K in 32 starts, but has showed flashes here and there.

Blue Jays SP Zach Greinke(38, 4*) certainly has someting left in the tank, going eight scoreless innings of 2-hit, 2BB and 4K ball in a 2-0 road win over the Rays that clinched the AL East for them. A free agent this winter, the 38-year old 5x All-Star will be looking to cash in on his 14-10 3.56 142K year in 32 starts once again.

In other news, the Tigers clinched their playoff berth via the Wild Card.

September 30th

Brewers Win, Extend Win Streak to 4

Milwaukee starter Julio Urias pitched effectively against the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park. The left-hander led his team to a 8-1 win. Urias got the win, improving to 19-5. He allowed 7 hits and walked 1 over 7 innings. Urias allowed 1 earned run. The Brewers, at 114-46, have now won 4 straight.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, left fielder Mickey Moniak had a key at-bat for the Brewers. With Milwaukee leading 3-1, he banged a grand slam home run.

"I felt we were ready to go," said Milwaukee manager Mike Matheny. "Our pregame was pretty good and we are in a good goove to enter the playoffs". Platoon shortstop Shane Benes also went deep against Baker and Tucker Neuhaus chipped in for #31.

The Dodgers lost 7-1 to the Padres, putting the Reds still 1 game behind.

CHC 7 – MIA 5(10)
STL 9 – PIT 0
STL SP Taylor A. Lewis(28, 2.5/3*) 9IP 8H 0ER 5K W(7-12 4.20)

MIL 114-46 CLINCHED
CIN 82-78
PIT 78-82
CHC 70-90
STL 66-94

Austin Rubick(R, 12-12 4.08) – Carlos Rodon(L, 16-8 3.22) tomorrow. Rubick told everybody that he wants to show that he is an ace in this start...

SP Julio Urias 7IP 7H 1R 1ER 1BB 8K
SS Shane Benes 1-5 R 2RBI HR
2B Devin Mann 0-3 R 2BB
CF Aaron Brown 2-5 R
1B José Vásquez 1-2 R RBI BB
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-4 R RBI HR
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4 R 4RBI HR
C Jake Turnbull 1-2 R 2BB
HR CIN: none
HR MIL: Tucker Neuhaus(31), Mickey Moniak(30), Shane Benes(10)
W: Julio Urias(19-5 2.62) L: Andrew Baker(4-2 4.00)
Nice one, Urias is also in fine form. Now, no injuries, and we still have a shot to tie the 116-win record by the Mariners from 2001!

October 1st

Reds Take, 4-1 Win, Take WC Race to Game 162

The Cincinnati Reds got a good effort from starter Austin Rubick in defeating the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The final score was 4-1. Sang-hoon Park earned his 36th save in 43 tries. Cincinnati is now 83-78.

"Austin did a tremendous job," said Cincinnati manager Bryan Price. He threw six strong innings of 1-run, 4BB, 6-hit and 6K ball.

With Cincinnati trailing 1-0 and a runner on 1st, the Reds struck gold when shortstop Mark Karaviotis turned a 1-1 fastball from Brewers hurler Carlos Rodon into his 13th home run of the season. The hit scored 2 and put Cincinnati up, 2-1.

With the Dodgers winning today, it all comes down to game 162 tomorrow for the Reds.

CHC 5 – MIA 2
STL 1 – PIT 4

MIL 114-47 CLINCHED
CIN 83-78
PIT 79-82
CHC 71-90
STL 66-95

Javier Salas(R, 13-11 3.64) – Jefferson Vergara(R, 18-5 2.68) tomorrow. We skipped Nikorak to get Jefferson in... no reason to gift them a win.

SP Carlos Rodon 6IP 7H 2R 2ER 2BB 3K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 R BB SB(42)
LF Mickey Moniak 2-5 2DB
CF Aaron Brown 2-5
C Jake Turnbull 2-4 RBI BB
1B José Vásquez 2-4
2B Devin Mann 1-3 BB DB
HR CIN: Shane Madirosian(6), Jorge Alfaro(3), Mark Karaviotis(13)
HR MIL: none
W: Austin Rubick(13-12 4.00) L: Carlos Rodon(16-9 3.22) SV: Shan-hoo Park(36 2.47)
Ok, we got the hits, but we simply failed to push the runners across...

October 1st

Salas Throws 3-Hitter, But Reds End Season Empty-Handed

The Cincinnati Reds topped the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1. Javier Salas, who is tied for 8th in the NL with a 8.4 K/9 rate, was named player of the game for his dominant performance. Cincinnati, at 84-78, sits in second place in the National League Central Division.

Salas tossed 97 pitches over 9 innings to clinch the win for the Reds. The right-hander allowed just 3 hits, while racking up 8 strikeouts in the game.

"Javier was throwing strikes, locating well," said Cincinnati manager Bryan Price, "When he is pitching like this, he is nearly unstoppable."

Unfortunately, that was not enough for the Reds to make the Wild Card game as LA's very own Clayton Kershaw stepped up and pitched 7.1 scoreless innings of 3-hit, 2BB and 8K ball in a 8-0 victory over the Padres.

CHC 3 – MIA 2
STL 2 – PIT 4

MIL 114-48 CLINCHED
CIN 84-78
PIT 80-82
CHC 72-90
STL 66-96

SP Jefferson Vergara 5.2IP 7H 5R 5ER 2BB 4K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 R
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 RBI DB
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-3
HR CIN: none
HR MIL: none
W: Javier Salas(14-11 3.52) L: Jefferson Vergara(18-6 2.83)
Ok, we have faltered a bit in those last two games...

News:
Mets SP Casey Meisner(27, 3*) threw a 3-hitter with 2BB and 5K in a 5-0 victory over the Braves to wrap up their regular season. The 27-year old has had 8 nice starts this season up here, going 3-1 2.67 34K in 11 games and 8 starts.

Week: 4-2(3-0vs WSH, 1-2vs CIN)
Power Rankings: ---
Runs scored: 795(3)
Runs against: 518(1)
Starters ERA: 3.06(1)
Bullpen ERA: 2.55(1)
Defensive Eff.: .709(3)
Fan Interest: 95(+1)

Who's hot?
SP Julio Urias 4GS 2-0 0.63 30K 28.2IP
LHRP Justus Sheffield 18G 2-0 1SV 0.41 29IP 22IP

Who's not?
nobody

[Griever20]

Other Brewers on the leaderboards:
Batting average – Jake Turnbull – 5th - .310
OBP – Jake Turnbull - 4th - .391
OBP – Wilkerman Garcia - 5th - .391
Hits – Aaron Brown - 5th – 193
Runs Scored – Wilkerman Garcia - 5th – 110
Total Bases - Aaron Brown - 1st – 335
Total Bases – Mickey Moniak - 5th - 313

Wins – Jefferson Vergara - tied 3th – 18
IP – Julio Urias – tied 3rd – 213
IP – Frank Lopez - 5th – 208.1
Strikeouts – Frank Lopez - 4th – 221
K's per 9IP – Julio Urias - 1st – 10.44
K's per 9IP – Frank Lopez - 5th – 9.55
WHIP - Frank Lopez - 1st – 0.98
WHIP – Julio Urias - 2nd – 0.99
FIP – Frank Lopez -5th – 2.97

Maybe, getting Wilkerman Garcia in was the move that puts us over the top. In a season where Aaron Brown took a step back from his video game numbers from 2021, Tucker Neuhaus missed a significant amount of time, Kennys Vargas left and we eased in a new first baseman, and Mickey Moniak lost 22 points of batting average and 83 points of OPS, having Garcia on top of the lineup ever so often was perfect.

Apart from Devin-I only work in August(.308/.371/.452) and September(.276/.393/.391)-Mann and Garcia, every regular has hit 20+ home runs. This lineup is deep, it has a ton of talent and spark... this is the year... (trying to convince myself after failing for years as boss of Milwaukee)...

We are awaiting the Wild Card results... expecting the Mets, but hoping for the Dodgers, who we beat in six in the NLCS last season...

Pitching Staff:

Name	Age	League	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	K/9	WAR	Status
Mike Nikorak(R)	26	40-man	1-3	4.50	20G/4GS	1.39	9.9	0.0	All Stats MLB
Alex Spears(R)	24	AAA	8-6	4.13	19GS	1.30	8.4	2.4	DL torn rotator cuff out for season
Alfredo Contreras(R)	24	AAA	11-8	4.51	29GS	1.47	5.9	2.9	All Stats AAA
Raúl Martínez(R)	23	AAA	3-4	4.73	12GS	1.64	6.3	0.0	All Stats AAA
Juan Meza(R)	24	AAA	5-5	4.96	15GS	1.44	6.5	0.8	All Stats AAA
Greg White(R)	21	AAA	7-10	3.19	29GS	1.43	6.8	0.8	All Stats AA
Clarence Province(R)	21	A	8-12	3.11	29GS	1.24	8.4	2.5	All Stats A
Julián Aquilera(R)	19	A	7-12	3.68	30GS	1.42	8.0	2.0	All Stats A

Name	Age	League	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	K/9	SV	WAR	Status
Ronny Carjaval(R)	26	40-man	3-1	3.29	48G	1.26	7.1	1	0.6	All Stats MLB
Cliff Walker(R)	24	40-man	1-0	6.07	14G	1.80	10.8	0	-0.1	All Stats MLB
Jerry Edwards(L)	31	AAA	2-7	4.00	63G	1.13	12.0	9	0.1	All Stats AAA
Steve Reynolds(R)	29	AAA	4-6	3.78	66G	1.31	10.2	1	0.8	All Stats AAA

Deciding which starters to carry over to the playoff roster was easy... we choose to bring all five along, and that meant no spot for Mike Nikorak and Ronny Carjaval as we decided to carry another bat and 11 pitchers.

So, which starter is in the pen you ask. The answer is easy, the one that did it before... Jefferson Vergara. This is more gut feeling than anything else, and going with Hall, the rookie who had a mediocre debut, is a risk... yes, I'm gambling again here...

Position Players:

Name	Age	League	Avg-HR-RBI	OPS	G	WAR	R	SB	Status
1B Dillon Paulson(L)	25	40-man	.330-14-72	.927	126G/114GS	3.1	64	5/10	All Stats AAA
OF Dayton Dugas(R)	25	40-man	.214-1-4	.624	14G/7GS	-0.1	2	0/0	All Stats MLB
C Ryan Orr(R)	24	AAA	.257-5-28	.693	84G/67GS	0.6	39	0/0	All Stats AAA
3B José Martínez(L)	21	AAA	.225-1-16	.660	39G/39GS	0.4	16	6/9	All Stats AAA
SS Ernesto Hernández(R)	22	AAA	.213-4-60	.563	136G/131GS	0.3	54	48/58	All Stats AAA
CF Luis Iglésias(L)	21	AAA	.312-3-54	.808	93G/93GS	4.2	64	64/73	All Stats AAA
OF Teófilo Vega(R)	22	AAA	.256-17-93	.749	115G/115GS	1.4	52	19/33	All Stats AAA
SS Artie Bradley(R)	21	AA	.255-2-46	.678	135G/134GS	4.1	72	58/75	All Stats AA
SS/2B Josse Padez(R)	19	A	.233-3-53	.599	134G/132GS	2.8	52	51/66	All Stats A
SS/2B Arif Simbolon(S)	20	A	.257-1-28	.659	60G/60GS	2.3	20	7/9	All Stats A

I already went out and praised this offense above, so not alot to talk about. All hands are on deck and healthy, and the lineup has scored 795 runs with injuries and us resting players over the six months of the regular season.

Want some strange stat on Wilkerman Garcia:
Against RHP: .318/.383/.507 in 507AB's.
Against LHP: .391/.447/.507 in 69 AB's.

Shane Benes
Against LHP: .301/.331/.526 in 133AB's.

Underlying question: Do we keep the leadoff/SS platoon going or not... I hate to make changes in the playoffs from what has worked in the regular season... but we will keep an eye on that.

Another under the radar key player for the playoffs... Devin Mann. With his skills, I expect an OBP over .370 to make him worthwhile, and he has posted a .348OBP for the seaoson... with the aformentioned two hot months... If he gets into the groove, we suddently have three GREAT OBP guys in our lineup with Mann, Jake Turnbull and Wilkerman Garcia that are spread around in our lineup.

[Griever20]

NL Wild Card:
Los Angeles Dodgers – New York Mets 3-4
New York advances to NLDS.

AL Wild Card:
Detroit Tigers – Seattle Mariners 6-5
Detroit Tigers advances to ALDS, beating Seattle who made their third Wild Card appearance in a row...

-----

The New York Mets:

Well, we saw that one coming a mile ago, didn't we. The 97-65 Mets may have lost the division, but they are rather dangerous still. The team never really got going despite their so called 'golden pitching' generation in the mid 2010's and had to wait 11 years for their first winning season since 2008... that was in 2019.

Since then, the team of long term manager Bob Geren has been a major player in the NL and made huge waves by winning 108 games last season... and then losing to the Dodgers in the NLDS... they got their revenge this season.

Lucky for us, they obviously used ace SP M.D. Johnson(25, 5*, 15-7 2.33 251K) in the Wild Card game and co-ace Stephen Kolek(25, 4/4.5*, 15-12 2.80 158K) is out for the season with injury, so we will have the advantage pitching wise with Tristin English(25, 3*, 13-4 3.34 114K) and Brandon Finnegan(29, 12-13 3.46 195K) slated to go in games one and two.

Their bullpen has been as good as anybodies but controversely, their closer in veteran Shae Simmons(32, 4.5*, 4-5 43SV 3.37 76K 66.2IP) has the highest ERA of the bunch and many think that righty Jurgen Jimenez(26, 4.5/5*, 1-4 1.91 76K 70.2IP) should close instead.

As for their lineup, it is oozing with talent. Gold Glove center fielder Simon Muzziotti(23, 4.5/5*, .261-9-61 .680OPS 40/50SB) is slated to lead off every day despite being a left-handed hitter, and even more controversely, LF Scott Hurst(26, 1.5*, .257-8-66 .683OPS 150G) will bat second... if this goes wrong against our rotation, it may blow into Bob Geren's face with the New York media always smelling blood.

Now, the big guns are coming behind them. At 31-years of age, Yasiel Puig(31, 5*, .309-28-109 .912OPS 158G) had another amazing season and could get his fifth Silver Slugger Award this season, and Edwin Lora(27, 4.5*, .265-37-85 .906OPS) will go down as one of the best Rule 5 draft pick in history... and one of the biggest mistakes by the Nationals in history.

But wait, there is more. Greg Bird(29, 3*, .260-25-93 .812OPS 160G) has been there for six years, since we dealed him away in the Plawecki deal and has done good things, albeit never developed into a superstar. 3B Drew Mendoza(24, 3.5*, .269-19-77 .789OPS) and SS Tremaine Spears(24, 4*, .266-13-71 .746OPS) had their moments this season and Spears may get his first of many Gold Gloves this year...

This is a tough matchup as mentioned before. We should have the edge on the pitching side and that 'should' lift us into the NLCS... but in a five game set, there is the risk of them getting red hot...


National League Division Series Game 1:

6th October 2022

New York Mets - Milwaukee Brewers @Miller Park

NYM: SP Tristin English(R, 13-4 3.34)
MIL: SP Julio Urias(L, 19-5 2.62)

Crunch time. It was close between Lopez and Julio, but Julio has been around for a long time now and earned the right to start this playoff series. He got us off to a good start in front of a sold out crowd, getting a couple of grounders and striking out Hurst to get our offense out there. After two rather weak outs, Brownie got a hard single into right center that landed infront of Puig and Jakie Turnbull hit a HARD shot towards the gap... that hung up there way to long, inning over.

And then, the Mets started the ceremonial trashing of our ace in the playoffs. Edwin Lora, who hit .182 in the regular season against us, lashed a double to right center and their goddamn third baseman Mendoza, a third round selection in 2017, completely OBLITERATED A 3-2 fastball for a 2-run homer. They stranded another 2-out double that inning... and it was time for us to come back from behind...

Starting off that quest, José Vásquez SOMEHOW turned on a fastball that was shoulder high... and led off the bottom second with a 386ft home run... how he hit that one in that location... is his secret I guess. Sloppy defense by their third baseman, Mr. 2-run homer Drew Mendoza, got us two runners in scoring position with two outs and Wilkerman at the plate... and he hit a lazy flyball to the same third baseman to end the inning... already a stressful game...

New York nearly put another run onto the board... if it was not for Jesus Gonzalez' cannon arm that threw out a runner at home... and punishment followed suit as English left a 1-1 curveball over the middle of the plate... and Brownie crushed it into the right field seats, tied game 2-2. And then, things fell apart for them defensively. A walk, a productive groundout that pushed Turnbull to second... a wild pitch that brought him to third set the stage...

For Yasiel Puig to see an easy flyball out spill out of his glove for a run scoring, 2-base error. We took the lead, Devin Mann zinged a grounder into left to make it 4-2, and Puig in right wished there was a hole in the ground for him to disappear in.

15 minutes later, Julio Urias wished for the same thing as he royally blew that lead with the Mets spraying base hits all over the place... and this time, we did not answer despite Mr. English getting replaced by a reliever, and Mr. Urias himself leading off the bottom half with a infield single... through four, NYM 4 MIL 4 and everybody already got their money's worth.

After Urias ended the top fifth with a tailor made double play ball, 25-year old Mets righty Max Kranick first lost his control, then lost the lead after Vásquez swiped bag and a blooper off the bat off Tucker Neuhaus, and then his dignity when Urias collected his second hit to load the bases... and still got out of hit when Neuhaus was thrown out at home...

And if you thought the game would settle down... you were wrong... home run... home run... NYM 6, MIL 4 and Julio Urias was sheduled to get SHOT after the game... his day was over after six innings of 6ER and we went to our pen... and the seesaw battle continued when Justus Sheffield was asked to bunt, failed twice... and hit a laser for a RBI-double into right field... 6-6 after seven.

Sheffield gave us three scoreless in order to prepare for a wild extra inning game. In in the bottom 9th, things started moving. Jesus Gonzalez led off the inning with a grounder that eluded Lora and suddently, Matheny brought out the calls and sent Benes out on the basepaths and Billy McKinney to pinch hit for Molina.... which resulted in a DP and extra innings...

And then, Corey Knebel came in, gave up a first pitch solo home run to Edwin Lora and we finally bottled it...

SP Julio Urias 6IP 10H 6R 6ER 1BB 5K, 2-3
CF Aaron Brown 2-6 R RBI HR
C Jake Turnbull 1-5 R BB
1B José Vásquez 2-4 2R RBI HR SB(1)
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-5 R RBI
2B Devin Mann 2-3 R RBI 2BB
RF Jesus Gonzalez 3-5
RP Justus Sheffield 1-1 RBI DB
HR NYM: Drew Mendoza 2(2), Edwin Lora(1), Greg Bird(1)
HR MIL: José Vásquez(1), Aaron Brown(1)
W: Shae Simmons(1-0 0.00) L: Corey Knebel(0-1 9.00)
NYM 7 MIL 6(10) NYM leads series 1-0
So, we used three pitchers today, and two of them have an ERA of 9.00...

--

NLDS:
Colorado Rockies – Philadelphia Phillies 2-3
Philadelphia leads series 1-0.

[Griever20]

National League Division Series Game 2:

7th October 2022

New York Mets - Milwaukee Brewers @Miller Park

NYM: SP Casey Meisner(R, 3-1 2.67 11G/8GS)
MIL: SP Frank Lopez(L, 20-3 2.64)

Alot of screaming and whipping later, we are back out on the field with a little surprise... they started their 27-year old AAAA guy that came into the team late due to injuries... ok we better win this... and of course, things went wrong right away. Muzziotti doubled to start the inning, Hurst bunted him over, Puig made it 1-0 Mets with a first pitch single and Lopez then limited the damage by getting a grounder and a K...

That was the scoring for the first two as Lopez got a coupke of scoreless ones and we stranded José Vásquez at second base... with nobody out... as he singled and stole second... and was left there. It seems like we were trying to do the same thing in the third as Garcia was standing at second base with two outs... but this time, things got rolling.

Brownie was struggling with Meisner's assortment of pitches and got slightly under a hanging curveball... blooper into center... and Garcia held at third base as we got two runners thrown out at home yesterday. That also meant... Jakie Turnbull had to deliver and he knew that... and worked a monster eight pitch AB to a full count... reached for a fastball high and way... AND AWAY IT GOES... DEEP RIGHT FIELD... WAY BACK AND GOONE!!! MIL 3 NYM 1

And the 2-out terror continued with three straight base hits and a Devin Mann RBI single added to the pain... and we were anxiously waiting for Lopez to blow it... and instead, he started whiffing people, striking out their leadoff batter Muzziotti twice and FEASTING on the bottom of their order.

Plus, José Vásquez made hard contact for a solo jack in the bottom fifth... off Max Kranick as Meisner was pulled after four. Drew Mendoza added another blemish to Lopez statline with a RBI-triple... and he ended up with 7IP 6H 2ER 1BB and whiffed catcher Ryan Sloniger the second time for #10.

We moved things along to Molina, who pitched a efficient eighth... and he handed the ball over to the master of disater... Corey Knebel with a 5-2 lead. Drew 'The Punisher' Mendoza got the first swing... swung at the first pitch... and hit a flyer to left... right at MM for the first out.

Greg Bird swung through a inside fastball for out #2... and Tremaine Spears silenced the crowd with a homer that wrapped around the left-field foul pole, 5-3 game. Thankfully, Ryan Sloniger failed on a middle-middle fastball cookie that ended up as a tapper back to the pitcher... ballgame.

SP Frank Lopez 7IP 6H 2R 2ER 1BB 10K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-5 R SB(1)
LF Mickey Moniak 2-5
CF Aaron Brown 1-2 R 2BB
C Jake Turnbull 1-4 R 3RBI HR
1B José Vásquez 3-4 2R RBI HR SB(2)
2B Devin Mann 2-4 RBI
HR NYM: Tremaine Spears(1)
HR MIL: José Vásquez(2), Jake Turnbull(1)
W: Frank Lopez(1-0 2.57) L: Casey Meisner(0-1 9.00) SV: Corey Knebel(1 9.00)
NYM 3 MIL 5 NLDS tied at 1
Better performance by our starter, a clutch 3-run jack by Jake, and another reason for me to trade away Corey Knebel after the season... see you the day after tomorrow in New York.

--

NLDS:
Colorado Rockies – Philadelphia Phillies 3-2
NLDS tied at 1.

ALDS:
Toronto Blue Jays – Cleveland Indians 3-5
Cleveland leads ALDS 1-0.

Detroit Tigers – Texas Rangers 6-1
Detroit leads ALDS 1-0.

Toronto Blue Jays – Cleveland Indians 6-2
ALDS tied at 1.

Detroit Tigers – Texas Rangers 19-10
DET LF Dany Rojas(25, 4.5*) 2-4 2R 5RBI 2BB DB HR(1)
DET 1B Pavin Smith(26, 1*) 3-6 3R 4RBI DB 2HR(2)
Detroit leads ALDS 2-0.

[Griever20]

National League Division Series Game 3:

9th October 2022

Milwaukee Brewers - New York Mets @Citi Field

MIL: SP Carlos Rodon(L, 16-9 3.22)
NYM: SP M.D. Johnson(R, 1-0 2.57)

A crucial game three matchup that unfortunately favors the home team... that is not us by the way. Both starters kicked things off with a hitless first, but it was Rodon who blinked first on a leadoff single by Drew Mendoza in the second... that was left at second base as the rest of the Mets struggled to get the ball out of the infield... this Mendoza guy is annoying...

Our first try of generating offense was sabotaged by a Jesus Gonzalez double play in the third, and as things go when you hit into a DP, Carlos Rodon THEN hit a 2-out single for out first hit of the ballgame. And suddently, balls were flying in the general direction of Mets left fielder Scott Hurst, or, to be exact, bouncing infront of him as Garcia and Moniak both went the other way to score Rodon and put runners at the corners with two outs.

Brownie took a mighty cut at a 2-2 fastball that was right over the heart of the plate... and still got fooled as Johnson took four miles off of that heater and Brownie was early, inning over with a K. And, as things go in the playoffs for us, Muzziotti hit a ***tty grounder down the right field line with one out for a double and scored to tie it at one, 1-1 after three.

Want things to go worse? Carlos Rodon threw a scoreless fourth... and then left with some hammy injury or discomfort... hello Mr. Vergara. He came in, got a easy flyout, then saw José Vásquez at first drop one like a hot potato for a easy error. He fanned the lefty Muzziotti, which was big... and then walked Hurst. Two down, Puig at the plate, licking his lips in anticipation.

What he did not anticipate was 3-2, 100mph heater high up in the zone he swung through... inning over... Through six, Johnson had amassed 7 strikeouts, and with 80 pitches he still had something left in the tank... and ultimately was pinch hit for in the bottom 7th... did not help them much as Vergara struck out the side to complete three scoreless innings of 3-hit, 1BB and 4K ball.

Surprisingly enough, they went with their closer Shae Simmons for the eighth... who went out there and plunked Devin Mann with the first pitch. He decided to not play the wild man... and that actually would've been the better idea as 2K's and a flyball later, the inning was over.

A scoreless frame by Scott Griggs later, Simmons found more trouble... as he walked Brownie and Turnbull with one out, top 9th, and was left in to pitch to José Vásquez despite him having thrown 43 pitches. Here is the play-by-play:

"Simmons is ready, and here is pitch #44 for his night... SWUNG ON AND BELTED... TO DEEP LEFT FIELD... WAAAAY GOONE! He threw that one right into Vásquez wheelhouse at 92 mph and got punished! Milwaukee 4, New York 1."

And a lazy flyout to right field and two tapper back to the pitcher later, Knebel collected his second save of the series and we took a 2-1 lead in the NLDS in another great game.

SP Frank Lopez 4IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 3K, 1-1 R
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4 RBI
CF Aaron Brown 0-3 R BB
C Jake Turnbull 0-3 R BB
1B José Vásquez 1-4 R 3RBI HR
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-4 DB
2B Devin Mann 1-2 BB
HR MIL: José Vásquez(3)
HR NYM: none
W: Scott Griggs(1-0 0.00) L: Shae Simmons(1-1 8.10) SV: Corey Knebel(2 6.00)
MIL 4 NYM 1 MIL leads NLDS 2-1
I know who is going to be the MvP of this series if we win it... the rookie at first base, batting .500 with 3HR and 5RBI's. Rodon will be fine... exhale... he will be day-to-day with a mild hammy strain, 4 days. Hall tomorrow...

--

NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies - Colorado Rockies 8-2
Philadelphia leads NLDS 2-1.

[Griever20]

National League Division Series Game 4:

10th October 2022

Milwaukee Brewers - New York Mets @Citi Field

MIL: SP Dave Hall(R, 4-4 4.17)
NYM: SP Brandon Finnegan(L, 0-0 4.50)

Finnegan pitched two innings, allowing one run, in the Wild Card games and somehow managed to lose more games than he won this season 12-13 with a 3.46ERA... so he is no pushover and we do have some lefty hitters in the lineup. So, we went with Shane Benes at short to at least get one lefty off the lineup card.

And while Benes started things off with a 3-pitch strikeout, Devin Mann and Gonzalez led the charge early with a couple of sound singles to get Brownie another chance to shine... and he grounded into a fielders choice at second... and before José Vásquez got a chance to move the bat off his shoulder... Brownie THEN got picked off at first... what a rally killer.

Unsurprisingly, Finnegan dominated our lefties down in the order and struck out the side in the second, but Jake Turnbull refused to do the same and struck a loud flyer to center... that dropped besides Muzziotti for a leadoff double in the third. Hall grounded him over to third, and we had a shot at cashing in a runner with one out...

And we don't do things the easy way these days. Benes struck out LOOKING with a RBI sitting at third base... and Devin Mann fell behind 0-2... before Brandon Finnegan had some mercy and plated the run with a wild pitch. That, and the fact that Dave Hall threw three hitless innings... saw the home crowd getting quite desperate already.

And when we went on to generate offense again, Hall was once again involved. MM, batting eighth, yanked a single down the right field line... Turnbull struck out... and Dave was asked to bunt... layed down a mediocre one... and the throw to Edwin Lora to get the runner at second was dropped... two on, one out in the fifth.

This time, Shane Benes actually managed to put the ball in play... and flew out to right... but atleast got MM to third base. That brought up the often critisized Devin Mann... batting .545 with two RBI's and a 1.212OPS in the first three games... and he delivered again, groundball under the glove of defensive wizard Tremaine Spears, MIL 2, NYM 0.

On the next play, two seperate incidents happened. First, Jesus Gonzalez managed to hurt his hand, and had to leave the field of play to examine it, hoping that nothing was broken. The good news... he hurt that hand while sliding into second base on a 2-run killer of a double that got the visiting Brew Crew a 4-0 lead.

Brent Keys came in to take his spot and inherited a free run scored when the Mets pulled the curtain down on Finnegan's performance and brought in right-hander Tyler Ferguson to face Brownie... another not so clever decision as the later singled to make it 5-0. A four run inning eventually ended on a Vázquez K... but it was clear who was in the driver's seat.

But, the Mets were not quite ready to lay down and die as Edwin Lora became just their second baserunner by walking to lead off the fifth... with a potential no-no still intact. Greg Bird took care of that one the hard way... hitting one 361ft far into right field for a 2-run homer... and that was followed up by a Mendoza single and a Sloniger walk... tying run at the plate.

And it stayed their as Jack Weiller, a 25-year old AAAA utility guy, struck out, and Muzziotti grounded out to second. That was pitch #81 for Hall after five and it was clear that the 6th was his last inning... one way or another... and it was the hard way once again as Puig plated a leadoff Scott Hurst double... and himself with a 2-run homer to left field... MIL 5, NYM 4 and Molina was called upon to end the inning... walked a hitter... and got an inning ending grounder...

With our offense stopped working altogether after that four run inning, we burned Harlan in the seventh to get their lefties... and with Molina already done, went with Scott Griggs for the eighth.... who right away made things interesting. The pesky Lora doubled with one out and Greg Bird followed that one up with a DEEP drive to center... that found a glove at the warning track...

And that brought up Drew Mendoza again... and this guy has hurt us this series... and the battle between him and Griggs felt like it lasted ages. Griggs fell behind 1-0 and 3-1... battled back with a called strike... and Mendoza used EVERYTHING to stay alive after that and put a total of four balls into the seats in foul ground... before he gracefully grounded out to first base to end another stressful inning.

All the Mets wanted now was a second scoreless inning by Jimmie Sherfy, who still had not allowed an earned run in this series. And had to watch Moniak AND Turnbull of all people leg out infield singles, and a Benes liner also found the gras to load the bags with one out. That brought up .615 hitter Devin Mann... and he did not get a chance to hit as Sherfy managed to plunk him, MIL 6 NYM 4.

Next stop, Brent Keys, still batting second after Gonzalez left... and he officially ended the inning with a home to first double play out of hell.

Speaking of hell, here is Corey Knebel to close out the series... that will be fun.

Pitching an inning that only Corey Knebel could manage, he struck out Spears for the first out, then walked Sloniger... and then got fed an easy grounder that could've been a double play... if we would've thrown it somewhere close the second base bag. Slow catcher Ryan Sloniger thankfully held at second... but they had the winning run at the plate.

Steve Muzziotti at the plate, 2-0 count... groundball... MANN DIVES... COMES UP... AND HAS NO PLAY, bases loaded, one out and a pinch hitter coming up. Michael Higgins, 26-year old backup catcher that hit .259 in limited AB's... but he has shown some power.

With me already holding a broke bottle in his hand, ready to kill a certain closer right away... Higgins fell behind 1-2... fouled off a couple of pitches that made my heart stop... before he took a mighty hack at a elevated 94mph heater.... and swung right through it... two down...

Now: the play-by-play.

Here is Puig, batting .389 with a homer and five RBI's for the series. He hit a big 2-run jack earlier this game. Bases loaded, two down, and the series on the line for the Mets. Puig, at 31-years of age, has won a couple of World Series trophies with the Dodgers earlier in his career.

The first pitch... foul. Knebel pitched for the outside and Puig got a piece of it... and Turnbull goes out to talk things over... and they are ready again. Turnbull sets up on the inside and he we go... and this one is HAMMERED... DEEP RIGHT FIELD... SEE YOU THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW IN MILWAUKEE, THAT'S A WALKOFF GRAND SLAM! Mets 8, Brewers 6 and good night everybody.

SP Dave Hall 5.2IP 4H 4R 4ER 3BB 5K, 0-1 R
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-5
2B Devin Mann 3-4 R 2RBI HBP
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-3 2RBI DB
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 RBI
LF Mickey Moniak 2-4 2R
C Jake Turnbull 2-4 R DB
HR MIL: none
HR NYM: Yasiel Puig 2(2), Greg Bird(2)
W: Jurgen Jimenez(1-0 0.00) L: Corey Knebel(0-2 4.91)
MIL 6 NYM 8 NLDS tied at 2
Ok, I guess Knebel is unavailable for the rest of his life... Oh, and Jesus Gonzalez is a pussy and will be fine, bruised hand that should be fine tomorrow.

--

NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies - Colorado Rockies 14-2
PHI 2B Anthony Molina(26, 5*) 3-4 4R 6RBI 2BB DB 2HR(2)
Philadelphia wins NLDS 3-1, advances to NLCS.

ALDS:
Cleveland Indians - Toronto Blue Jays 3-2
Cleveland leads ALDS 2-1.

Texas Rangers - Detroit Tigers 3-4
Detroit sweeps ALDS 3-0, advances to ALCS.

Cleveland Indians - Toronto Blue Jays 5-6(16)
ALDS tied at 2.

[Griever20]

National League Division Series Game 5:

12th October 2022

New York Mets - Milwaukee Brewers @Miller Park

NYM: SP Tristin English(R, 0-0 6.00)
MIL: SP Julio Urias(L, 0-0 9.00)

So, the good news, it is not M.D. Johnson. The bad news, it is still a "go big or go home game", and I wanted to avoid those in the DIVISION SERIES at least... but I have to say, the rest of the NL picked up alot of talent recently, so there is a reason why this one is so close.

What we need now... is a ace like start by Julio Urias and/or a offensive explosion... something that keeps Corey Knebel out of the game. This worked out quite well in the first as Julio pitched a hitless first, Wilkerman Garcia, owner of a .250OBP in the first four games, reached base with a single, swiped second, and scored on a two out ringing double by Jakie Turnbull.

And we kept chipping away. Devin Mann moved to 9-14 for the series with a single, English threw one away for a wild pitch, and a healthy Jesus Gonzalez collected his third RBI of the series with a base hit up the middle on a hanging, 2-2, curveball. Julio eventually conceded a base hit in the third... a hot shot into right field by their starter of course, but he whiffed Muzziotti for three strong and scoreless innings.

And run support continued to come when Aaron Brown hit one a mile over the right field wall... MIL 3, NYM 0 after three innings of play.

Whiffing two of the first three batters he faced in the fourth, Puig took a walk and Julio Urias was nearly out of the inning... when Drew 'The Punisher' Mendoza destroyed his fine start... with his third home run of the postseason. Another six pitches later, Greg Bird continued his revenge on us (for trading him away) by hitting a laser triple over the head of Aaron Brown... and Spears homered to make it a 4-3 Mets lead... BECAUSE WHY NOT RIGHT???

Redemption happened in the bottom fourth. With two outs, English lost his control, lost Mann and Gonzalez to walks, and the lead to Julio Urias who singled over Spears an into right to make it 4-4.

Julio eventually made it through five innings, stranding another runner at third base top 5th, and we called upon Justus Sheffield to warm up... and he and Max Kranick eventually calmed this game down in the middle innings.

Scotty Griggs pitched a scoreless eighth and the Mets went with our old friend Shae Simmons and his ERA over eight. And Brownie greeted him with a base hit into center. Could we score and summon our closer Knebel... errr our closer Anthony Molina to get out of this nightmare.

Jake Turnbull certainly wanted to to that... with a high hard flyball to center that pushed Muzziotti ALL THE WAY TO THE CENTER FIELD WALL... where he caught it at the track, one down... and two groundballs later, the inning was over, and Scotty Griggs pitched another uneventful inning...

And that brought is into the bottom of the 9th with 2.50ERA righty Jimmy Sherfy taking the ball for New York... and he managed something rare these days... striking out Devin Mann for the first out of the inning. What he could not do... was getting Jesus Gonzalez out. He singled into left and over Spears... and with Griggs being done for the day... we needed a pinch hitter.

Enter Justin Hancock, who hit .345 in 110AB's for us as backup C/1B and DH in the regular season. Acquired together with hot pitching prospect Julián Aquilera in this weird 3-team deal last offseason, he faced the biggest AB of his career... and the man with the funny moustache HAMMERED the third pitch he saw into the second deck in right center to sent every body home... and sent the home fans home happy. MIL 6 NYM 4.

SP Julio Urias 5IP 4H 4R 4ER 2BB 6K, 1-1 R 2RBI
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 R SB(2)
CF Aaron Brown 3-4 R RBI HR
C Jake Turnbull 1-4 RBI DB
2B Devin Mann 1-3 R RBI BB
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-3 R RBI BB
PH Justin Hancock 1-1 R 2RBI HR
HR NYM: Drew Mendoza(3), Tremaine Spears(2)
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(2), Justin Hancock(1)
W: Scott Griggs(2-0 0.00) L: Jimmy Sherfy(0-1 7.36)
NYM 4 MIL 6 MIL wins NLDS 3-2, advances to NLCS
Those walkoff's are killing me.

--

ALDS:
Toronto Blue Jays - Cleveland Indians 5-6
Cleveland wins ALDS 3-2, advances to ALCS.

[Griever20]

---

The Philadelphia Phillies:

Rolling over the Colorado Rockies[/U] in four and winning their division by 8 games over the just eliminated Mets, they will be an even tougher nut to crack. Managed by 63-year old Ryan 'Ryno' Sandberg, his steady had slowly made this 89 win team(2014) into a 100+ win team, and they have really turned the jets on since Josh Buchholz has taken over as GM after the 2018 season.

He is the GM responsible for signing their hole playoff rotation, starting with lefty ace Martin Perez(31, 4.5*, 18-4 2.66 157K), latebloomer Jefry Rodriguez(29, 3/4*, 16-7 3.65 156K), japanese import Shigochiyo Kokawa(27, 2.5*, 17-10 3.55 194K) and ex-Giants prospect Kyle Crick(29, 3*, 16-6 3.58 175K), let alone adding 2x Reliever of the Year Mike Morin(31, 5*, 5-2 42SV 1.94 69K 65IP) as a lockdown closer.

That is all good and fine... but is they are only the second fiddle on that roster... as the second best offense(826) runs, and the offense with the most stolen bases(158) is staring into our face. Shortstop J.P. Crawford(27, 4.5*, .279-18-65 .797OPS 35/42SB 147G) will leadoff as he had for seven years now, and another great defensive player in LF Christian Yelich(30, 4*, .263-11-49 .736OPS 128G) should bat second... that is 7 Gold Gloves in two lineup spots alone... Yelich is another Buchholz signing.

His best signing ever... is batting third... Anthony 'Horseface' Molina(26, 5*), the second baseman is batting .319-10-95 .918OPS with league leading 56/67 stolen bases... league leading 21 triples... and league leading 9.2WAR for the season. And when you are done with him(or he with you), how about some homers... 1B Jeffrey Zimmerman(30, 4*, .269-38-136 .868OPS 160G), who led the NL in RBI's, and Rookie of the Year candidate C Thomas Dillard(25, 3.5/4*, .236-42-120 .809OPS).

A familiar face... Tyrone Taylor(28, 4.5*, .302-14-52 .795OPS 12/18SB 118G) as part of the Brownie deal, is still there and earning $18.2M these days... and given that he is the best of the three guys we traded over... we won that trade pretty handily with Brownie outpacing him by whooping 17.3WAR over the last four seasons.

On paper, we are the slightly better team... but if our pitching continues to slip up, they can punish us way harder than the Mets did... Urias as an ERA over eight in two starts...

[Griever20]

Service Announcement: Together with lots of work, I will be away from my desktop PC until sunday evening, so posts will most likely resume next week

National League Championship Series Game 1:

14th October 2022

Philadelphia Phillies - Milwaukee Brewers @Miller Park

PHI: SP Martin Perez(L, 18-4 2.66)
MIL: SP Frank Lopez(L, 1-0 2.57)

We will face Perez here in game one, and he has not pitched since September 18th as he strained an oblique in that start... hopefully he will be a bit rusty. Coming off an impressive sweep of the Rockies... we have to wary, that is for sure.

And of course, we managed to dig ourselves an early hole as J.P. Crawford led off the game with a double and Neuhaus then later threw away the third out of the inning... a mile past Vásquez at first. PHI 1, MIL 0 on a unearned run. Yelich then did the same thing in the second... double... ground out, RBI-groundout, 2-0 PHI.

Perez on the other hand was barely hitting 90 with his heater... and up until Mickey doubled to start the bottom third, our hitters were not getting that memo. Turnbull missed that memo aswell and struck out, Lopez bunted into a popout and Benes has been **** all playoffs... inning over.

Rookie catcher Thomas Dillard joined the party with a leadoff... solo home run in the fourth and the fifth was when things unraveled for Lopez. Martin Perez led off the inning(what else) with a single, two batters later, Molina doubled a tricky one to left center that Perez misjudged and he had to hold at third.

Did not matter as Jeffrey Zimmerman homered four pitches later on a hanging slider, PHI 6, MIL nothing. Tucker Neuhaus managed our second hit bottom fifth... and it still was a 7-pitch inning for Perez... great...

That meant we summoned Vergara to soak up some innings... and he managed two scoreless... and allowed two more runs on a Dillard leadoff homer(really?) and a Martin Perez sac fly(REALLY???).

We broke the shutout with two outs in the eighth... thanks Tyrone Taylor for the throwing error that made that possible...and Brownie ran into one in the ninth to end Perez' dream of a complete game... but it still was a disaster of a game 1...

SP Frank Lopez 5IP 7H 6R 5ER 0BB 3K
2B Devin Mann 2-4 R RBI
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-3 RBI BB
CF Aaron Brown 1-4 R RBI HR
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-4
LF Mickey Moniak 1-4
PH Wilkerman Garcia 1-1 R SB(3)
HR PHI: Jeffrey Zimmerman(2), Thomas Dillard 2(3)
HR MIL: Aaron Brown(3)
W: Martin Perez(1-0 3.38) L: Frank Lopez(1-1 5.25)
PHI 8 MIL 3 PHI leads NLCS 1-0
So, they showed us whose offense was boss today in a duel of pretty comparable pitchers...

[Griever20]

National League Championship Series Game 2:

15th October 2022

Philadelphia Phillies - Milwaukee Brewers @Miller Park

PHI: SP Jefry Rodriguez(R, 1-0 3.00)
MIL: SP Carlos Rodon(L, 0-0 2.25)

The 29-year old bargain signing against the 29-year old trade steal and both are 16-game winner... and we need one today. Carlos got that news bulletin and pitched around a 1-out single for a scoreless first and base hits were few and far between and that continued to be true when Jesus Gonzalez reached second on a 1-out double in the third... Rodon bunted into a popup and Garcia grounded out to end the frame.

The second time through the order, Rodon got three easy grounders... and Jeffrey Zimmerman compensated for that soft contact with a 358ft homer to right field that got the visiting pest a 1-0 lead. Four innings done, two hits apiece, PHI 1 MIL 0.

Things unraveled in the fifth then when Hayashi hit a sound one infront of a charging Gonzalez and pitcher(!) Jefry Rodriguez walloped a frikkin RBI double into the right field corner, and when the dust had settled, the Phillies had a 3-0 lead and José Vásquez had an error by his name.

That was it for Rodon, Sheffield managed to allow another run, then hit just our third hit... and was left on first as Jefry was nursing a 3-hitter through six innings, having thrown 70 pitches... 78 pitches through seven... and that game then was sealed for good when Scott Griggs was done for four earned runs on three doubles, a triple and a single in the eighth... good night.

Wilkerman Garcia spoiled the shutout in the eighth... PHI 8, MIL 1, as Rodriguez pitched a 9IP 5H 1ER 1BB 5K complete game victory in game 2.

SP Carlos Rodon 5IP 5H 3R 2ER 0BB 6K
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 RBI
C Jake Turnbull 1-4
RF Jesus Gonzalez 2-3 R 2DB
P Justus Sheffield 1-1
HR PHI: Jeffrey Zimmerman(3)
HR MIL: none
W: Jefry Rodriguez(2-0 1.80) L: Carlos Rodon(0-1 3.00)
PHI 8 MIL 1 PHI leads NLCS 2-0
We are rubbish.

--

ALCS:
Detroit Tigers - Cleveland Indians 5-1
DET SP Henry Owens(30, 3.5*) 9IP 6H 1R 0ER 1BB 6K W(2-0 0.55)
Detroit leads ALCS 1-0.

Detroit Tigers - Cleveland Indians 1-9
CLE SP Casey Shane(30, 3.5*) 9IP 6H 1R 1ER 0BB 6K W(2-0 1.69)
ALCS tied at 1.

[Griever20]

National League Championship Series Game 3:

17th October 2022

Milwaukee Brewers - Philadelphia Phillies @Citizens Bank Park

MIL: SP Julio Urias(L, 0-0 8.18)
PHI: SP Kyle Crick(R, 1-0 3.00)

It is game three, and our backs are against the wall. Urias... or bust if we don't want to go full 2004 Red Sox... good thing Julio is coming in with a horrible ERA. And today, things kicked off great for us. With five lefties stacked on top of our lineup, Garcia worked a walk and stole second to lead off the game. By the time he swiped second, Crick had a 2-2 count to .194 hitter Mickey Moniak and tried to bust him inside with a fastball... CRAAACK.... DEEP RIGHT AND GONE MIL 2 PHI 0.

And the demolition job continued. With one out, Jakie Turnbull singled, José V. doubled to the left field gap, and Tucker walked... bases juiced for Devin Mann, batting .478 with 1.064OPS in the playoffs... who lined out to Molina at second... and Gonzalez also lowered his 1.023 playoff OPS by flying out to right... inning over and a big chance wasted.

But today, Julio was back on track. Four innings in, a Yelich single and a Crawford single was all they got, and by then our lefty had chalked up six K's, albeit all that on 70 pitches. We stranded two in the top fifth, but things looked firmly in control still with Yelich getting retired by Neuhaus to start the fifth

Hidekazu Hayashi took a walk oin six pitches, and Greg Deichmann was fanned.. two down in the bottom fifth and Kyle Crick, what could possibly go wrong.

Everything as it turned out as Kyle Crick managed to hit his FRIKKING FIRST CAREER HOME RUN OFF JULIO URIAS to tie this game at 2. ARE YOU ******* kidding me???

Fittingly to this evening, not only did Julio double in the top sixth and got stranded... Jesus Gonzalez put one into the seats in left before that and we got another 3-2 lead... not that I did care at that moment, I was still fuming...

All that fun got us deep into their bullpen with Baez, Outman and Carson Fulmer... and the last two managed to first allow a base hit to Mickey Moniak, who was riding a 3-4 day at that time... and he was standing at first when José Vasquez lasered our third homer of the day and his fourth of the postseason, MIL 5, PHI 2.

And then, Tom Harlan came in and managed to allow a triple, a homer , two straight singles and a walk and suddently, it was 5-5 with two in scoring position and two outs. And when our manager decided to remove Harlan for a pitcher that could get outs... that guy allowed a 2-run single and the Phillies had a 7-5 lead.

And the wild ride was not over as Wilkerman Garcia made it 7-6 with a solo shot to right, and MM and Brownie bashed base hits out on the green. The winning run at first base, Jakie Turnbull at the plate... K... José Vásquez... K.

That was the first inning of relief by Mike Morin, and with 18 pitches thrown, he returned for the ninth... and retired the side on strikes. PHI 7, MIL 6.

SP Julio Urias 6IP 3H 2R 2ER 2BB 8K, 1-3 DB
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 2R RBI BB HR SB(4)
LF Mickey Moniak 4-5 R 2RBI 2DB HR
CF Aaron Brown 2-4 R BB
1B José Vásquez 2-5 R 2RBI DB HR
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-4 BB
RF Jesus Gonzalez 1-5 R RBI HR
HR PHI: Kyle Crick(1), Hidekazu Hayashi(5)
HR MIL: José Vásquez(4), Wilkerman Garcia(1), Mickey Moniak(1), Jesus Gonzalez(1)
W: Jared Hughes(1-0 0.00) L: Ton Harlan(0-1 22.50) SV: Mike Morin(2 2.25)
MIL 6 PHI 7 PHI leads NLCS 3-0
Ok, I'm going to defend Mike Matheny here. Sheffield was not that good earlier this series and threw 40 pitches in game two... so Harlan was the only available ace lefty reliever... should've gone with Molina after that 2-run homer and sorted out the eighth when it came... this way, we are ******.

[Griever20]

National League Championship Series Game 4:

18th October 2022

Milwaukee Brewers - Philadelphia Phillies @Citizens Bank Park

MIL: SP Frank Lopez(L, 1-1 5.25)
PHI: SP Shigochiyo Kokawa(R, 0-1 6.75)

The improbable comeback? Well, we manage to assemble a number of baserunners in the first with a walk by Garcia, a double by MM, a walk by Jakie Turnbull to load the bases... and still only managed one run when Vásquez singled into short right... Anyways, we needed a great performance by Frankie Lopez to get anywhere, and he was shaky right away, getting out of the first only on a great 6-4-3 double play.

Brownie, who has not done alot this season, bashed a RBI-single into right in the second to score our pitcher, MIL 2, PHI 0... can we force a game 5? Well, shaky Lopez was shaky and Christian Yelich hit a tater to make it 2-1 right away bottom second... and a single by Greg Deichmann and a single by pitcher Kokawa were defused... when Deichmann was nailed trying to make third base...

And it was the speed of MvP candidate Anthony Molina that killed our lead when he hit a 2-out grounder past Neuhaus, stole second... and jogged home when Zimmerman dumped one into a triangle of two outfielders and a shortstop for a texas leaguer RBI single... Matheny had seen enough... and brought in Sheffield who actually threw two hitless frames.

And then, things got worse for us. Trying to leg out a infield single(which he did), José Vásquez collided with Zimmerman at first base... and it was not pretty. Zimmerman played on... and José had to be brought off the field of play on a stretcher.

By the sixth, Kokawa and Sheffield were done in a tied game and we brought in Scott Griggs who allowed four bleepin earned runs in game 2. And the horror continued. Molina hit a sharp one past replacement first baseman Justin Hancock... and then got caught stealing... exhale...

Bad idea. Zimmerman and Yelich took walks and with two down Hidekazu Hayashi worked a full count, eight pitch AB... and hit a hard liner to right field... Gonzalez running.... running... DIVES... AND IT I DOWN AND ROLLS TOWARDS THE WALL.... PHI 4 MIL 2.

And we were running out of outs. The seventh ended on a double play off the bat of Turnbull and the eighth saw them summoning lefty Chasen Shreve to retire our lefty bats... and Hancock followed suit with a first pitch popout... one down.

Neuhaus was looking to end his AB early and put a mighty hack on a first pitch heater... on the ground... and past everybody into right. Next batter, Devin Mann... groundball into right, again past everybody, two on, one down. Now, righty Gonzalez and a pinch hitter next... with their bullen being pretty depleted, they kept Shreve in.

They left Sheve and and on a 1-2 pitch, Gonzalez, got a mighty hack in... and struck out. Going with his last righty bat on the bench, Realmuto strolled to the plate... took ball one, took ball three... and put the third pitch in play... towards left... and PAST A DIVING DEICHMANN, NEUHAUS SCORES, 4-3 ballgame.

Wilkeman Garcia. Not hitting well in the playoffs, he came to the plate... AND HIT ANOTHER GROUNDER PAST THE THIRD BASEMAN... TIED BALLGAME! We are still alive! Not hot and alive as MM struck out on three pitches... but alive...

Trying to hold onto this tie... enter Corey Knebel... oh boy, we are screwed... Groundball... towards second... infield hit for Molina... groundball, towards second... infield hit for Zimmerman... WHAT SORCERY IS THIS???

Groundball... towards second... MANN GOT IT... TO GARCIA... TO HANCOCK... DOUBLE PLAY... phew, that was a close cookie. And that was only the eighth. A 1-2-3 top ninth later, Knebel was back on the pitch... and he was ****.

Hayashi singled, advanced on a wild pitch, Mike Matheny called for the intentional walk... sounds like a catastrophy right? #83 prospect in baseball, Alan Blanchard came to the plate... and thankfully fanned, but then, things got embarrassing. Crawford was at the plate... got a curve for a strike... and while he watched it sail by... Hayashi and Deichmann pulled off a double steal.

Crawford then got the IBB aswell and Tyrone Taylor OF ALL ******* ******** finally shot us in the head with a deep flyer to right center for a walkoff sac fly.

SP Frank Lopez 3IP 7H 2R 2ER 0BB 1K, 1-1
SS Wilkerman Garcia 1-4 2R RBI BB
LF Mickey Moniak 2-4 DB
CF Aaron Brown 1-5 RBI
1B José Vásquez 2-3 RBI
3B Tucker Neuhaus 1-4 R
2B Devin Mann 1-4
PH Billy McKinney 1-1
PH Shane Benes 1-1 RBI
HR MIL: none
HR PHI: Christian Yelich(1)
W: Carson Fulmer(1-0 3.00) L: Corey Knebel(0-3 5.06)
MIL 4 PHI 5 PHI wins NLCS 4-0
Don't ask about that Vásquez injury please.

--

ALCS:
Detroit Tigers - Cleveland Indians 7-8
Detroit leads ALCS 2-1.

Cleveland Indians - Cleveland Indians 4-3
ALCS tied at 2.

Cleveland Indians - Cleveland Indians 5-3
Cleveland leads ALCS 3-2.

Detroit Tigers - Cleveland Indians 8-1
ALCS tied at 3.

Detroit Tigers - Cleveland Indians 5-6
Cleveland wins ALCS 4-3, advances to World Series.

[Griever20]

Ouch! José Vásquez Shelved by Injury
stadiumreport.bbn

October 24th, 2022

Milwaukee has lost rookie first baseman José Vásquez for at least 9 months. He was hurt in a game against the Phillies while running the bases and sustained a broken kneecap. His doctors said Vásquez won't be back before July next season.

This year Vásquez has 28 home runs and a .267/.353/.499 slashline with 75RBI and 32/41 stolen bases.