Atlanta Braves v Miami Marlins (Braves lead 2-0)
The Braves’ biggest unknown before coming into the postseason was whether this pitching staff would be good enough to win any playoff games. The Braves managed to pitch four shutouts in their five postseason wins despite losing their best pitchers to injuries. SP Kyle Wright (6IP 3H 0ER 2BB 7K 88PC 1W) was brilliant in this game. He didn’t allow the Marlins to gain a rhythm on offense.
The Marlins had a great season. After COVID hit their ballclub early on, no one thought they would make the playoffs. Don Mattingly was able to shift gameplans and get incredible performances from most of the rookies and castoffs they called up to fill the gaps. A feat worthy of Manager of the Year.
Their run came to an end on Thursday afternoon after their 7-0 loss. The Marlins are now free to concentrate on the offseason. They have the beginnings of a nice core, i.e., SP Sixto Sanchez, 2B/SS Jazz Chislom, SP Pablo Sanchez, and SP Sandy Alcantara, and plenty of prospects that weren’t called up. This team is set up to be good for a while as long as they stay healthy.
Oakland Athletics v Houston Astros (Astros lead 2-1)
The Athletics staved off elimination in three postseason games, but the Astros put that streak to rest on Thursday. They beat the Athletics 11-6 to move on to the ALCS. The Astros hit 12 home runs in the four games against the Athletics, with SS Carlos Correa (3-4 1R 5RBI 1HR) and DH Michael Brantley (3-5 3R 3RBI 2HR) chipping in three to cap off the divisional series against the Athletics. This team is ready to prove they didn’t need the cheating to win.
The Athletics should still have a pretty good team when they come back next season. They have the two best defensive infielders, 3B Matt Chapman and 1B Matt Olson, coming back ready to lead the team. Up and coming players like SP Jesus Luzardo, C Sean Murphy, and SP A.J. Puk are all set to develop as a part of this team’s future. They will also have most of the best bullpen in baseball coming back, most notably, the best closer in baseball, Liam Hendricks.
Tampa Bay Rays v New York Yankees (Rays lead 2-1)
The Rays decided to go with an opener and leave their starters as a contingency for game five. The Rays are the team that started the opener fad, so if any team knew how implement an opener, it would be the Rays.
Opener Ryan Thompson (1.2IP 2H 2ER 3BB 3K 44PC 1L) isn’t considered a great starter, but Kevin Cash was looking for two innings out of a guy who wouldn’t be pitching in game five. SP Ryan Yarbrough (5IP 6H 2ER 1BB 1K 65PC) pitched a better game, but in retrospect, it didn’t matter because the Yankees pitching was on point.
The Yankees went with the opener strategy as well. They sent out Jordan Montgomery (4IP 3H 1ER 3BB 4K 62PC), only expecting three or four innings before handing the game over to the monster bullpen the Yankees possess. The bullpen (5IP 0H 0ER 1BB 7K) just cruised right through the Rays’ lineup.
The Yankees’ offense came out hot against Thompson and rode that lead to a 5-1 victory, forcing a game five. 2B Gleybar Torres and 1B Luke Voit both hit home runs. The Yankees are hopeful these two big bats stay hot going into game five to finish out the series.
Los Angeles Dodgers v San Diego Padres (Dodgers lead 2-0)
The Padres had an amazing season with the second-best overall record. This team has a great young nucleus of SS Fernando Tatis, Jr. and 3B Manny Machado, a great start to a compelling lineup. The pitching staff has Dinelson Lamet, Mike Clevinger, Chris Paddack, Garret Richards, and Zach Davies. The Padres are the best young team in the National League and would be a challenge for the Dodgers if they were healthy.
The Dodgers were all over each of the ten pitchers the Padres used. In the end, they tallied 14 hits in this series-clinching game. The Dodgers also got a great performance from one of their pitchers, SP Julio Urias (5IP 1H 0ER1BB 6K 68PC 1W). He has earned the third starting spot in the rotation going forward in these playoffs. C Will Smith (5-6 1R 3RBI), who had a tepid season, was on fire Thursday night for the Dodgers.
This series would’ve been an all-out battle if the Padres were healthy, but with a lack of depth and starting pitching. The Dodgers took the sweep with a final score of 12-3. The Dodgers have been the best team in the 2020 season, and now after two straight sweeps, it will be interesting to see how they do against the Braves. It should be a great series for the National League Pennant.