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Clayton Kershaw escapes and the Phillies stay alive

The division series between the Dodgers and Phillies moved to Los Angeles for Game #3. The Phillies were trying to avoid the sweep, while the Dodgers were looking to reach the MLB Final Four.

Tommy Edman, via a home run in the third, opened the scoring.

However, the Phillies had no intention of giving up. In the fourth, they scored three runs, including runs by Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh.

But the Phillies’ first run was driven in, against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, via a (very) long ball. In the home run contest, it would have earned him an extra 30 seconds because it was so well struck. #Schwarbomb

The Dodgers, later in the game, felt the timing was right to offer Clayton Kershaw the chance to pitch in long relief. It turned out to be a good idea… for one inning.

But in the next inning, the legendary pitcher, who will retire at the end of the season, gave up five runs, four of them earned.

It was perhaps the last time we’d see him on a mound, since the Dodgers hadn’t used him up to that point… and he didn’t exactly make us want to give him another call in the bullpen. His old October demons have caught up with him, and he’s never had much success in the playoffs.

Tonight at 6 p.m., the two teams meet again. Will the Dodgers finish the job at home?

PMLB
  • On the menu today: games #4 in the Nationals. Tomorrow: the final game of the Mariners/Tigers series.
MLB
  • Paul Goldschmidt wants to keep playing.

  • Cody Bellinger wants to come back to the Bronx.

  • Aaron Boone doesn’t expect to lose his job. He won’t say otherwise.

  • A single World Series for the Yankees in a quarter-century: a first.

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Championship series: Blue Jays in good position

As you probably know, the Blue Jays beat the Yankees in four games on the heels of their division series. Next up: the American League Championship Series.

I don’t know who predicted a Final Four appearance for the Blue Jays earlier this year, but here we are.

And the good thing is that the win in Game #4 reassured a lot of people… especially the up-and-coming players. It’s still a question mark around town in general, but to see that the Blue Jays only gave up one run to the Yankees without using a starter is… something.

I don’t know who predicted that either.

The Blue Jays won some big games late in the season to finish atop their division, and that allowed them to line up their rotation nicely for the division series.

I don’t know if, without it, John Schneider and his men would still be alive.

And now, once again, three big wins this week will have the starters ready for the first game of the division series, which takes place on Sunday in Toronto.

Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber can all be used. The same goes for Chris Bassitt (who is likely to be there as the #4 starter, having pitched simulated innings this week and getting better) and Max Scherzer… although I don’t see the veteran being in the rotation.

All this to say that John Schneider (who did very well on Wednesday night) will have his hands full.

But that’s not the only advantage for the Blue Jays, who will face the winner of the series between the Tigers and Mariners. The ultimate match takes place on Friday night in Seattle.

Not only will the club that wins on Friday have done Detroit – Seattle – Toronto in a few days (which is a lot of travel), but several pitchers won’t be rested.

If the Tigers win – which is possible with Tarik Skubal on the mound – game #5, Skubal won’t be able to pitch until game #3 of the championship series, next Wednesday in the USA. The Tigers would therefore theoretically be a catchable target.

If the Mariners win, they have such a great rotation that it wouldn’t be as much of a factor. But Seattle manager Dan Wilson wouldn’t have as much flexibility as his Toronto counterpart.

It won’t be easy for the Blue Jays to win this series. But the club, which has scored 34 runs in four games since the start of the playoffs, has a real chance of doing something right.

Whether Bo Bichette will be back healthy remains to be seen, but I’m not holding my breath. He’s just started running again and I don’t see him being ready for Sunday, when the 26-player championship series lineup will have to be rescheduled.

We’ll have to wait and see, since nothing is official.

But hey. With or without Bichette, the Blue Jays will have to continue to rely on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The latter has put the club on his shoulders and behaved like a star in New York. Can you imagine if he hadn’t signed his contract at the start of the season?

Will he be able to repeat his exploits in a series that promises to be less emotional? Because in Toronto and across the country, people are ready for it.

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Blue Jays eliminate Yankees and advance to Championship Series

For the second night in a row, the New York Yankees faced elimination from the Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

As he had done against the Boston Red Sox in the first elimination round, young Cam Schlittler had the tough task of taking to the mound to save his team’s season. For the Jays, it was a bullpen day with Louis Varland starting on the mound.

In the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued exactly where he left off, scoring teammate George Springer, who had previously hit a double, with a single on a 0-2 count.

After Louis Varland had done the job, Mason Fluharty allowed a solo home run to the number-nine hitter in the Yankees’ offensive line-up, Ryan McMahon, tying the game at one apiece.

But the Jays came right back in the top of the fifth, as George Springer put his team back in front, courtesy of a sacrifice fly at Schlittler’s expense, before the floodgates opened in the seventh due to a gross error by Jazz Chisholm Jr, much to the delight of the fans gathered at Scotiabank Arena for the game between the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens de Montréal.

Meanwhile, Seranthony Dominguez, Eric Lauer, Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Jeff Hoffman shut the door on the mound and the Yankees went on vacation much earlier than last year.

The Blue Jays now await their opponent for the Championship Series, which kicks off at the Rogers Centre on Sunday evening. For the occasion, Kevin Gausman is expected to take the mound for the Jays.

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Cubs force a game #4

The Milwaukee Brewers, before today’s game, were 2-0 up in their division series against rivals Chicago. They were looking for a road win to sweep Craig Counsell’s club.

And it started out strong for the Brewers, who took advantage of some confusion on an infiled fly to bring traffic to the bases. It finally paid off when Sal Frelick hit a sacrifice fly to first.

But the Cubs certainly hadn’t said their last word.

In the first, Michael Busch hit a solo home run and Pete Crow-Armstrong (yes, he got up) put a ball in the safe to add two runs to the scoreboard pretty quickly.

Brewers starter Quinn Priester didn’t even finish the first inning. And before the end of the inning, the Cubs added a fourth run to make it 4-1.

The Brewers made it 4-2 later on a Jake Bauers slap, but the Brewers were unable to make it 4-3 following a play involving a bunt as well as a mousetrap.

Jake Bauers finally brought the Brewers back a little closer by scoring a third run (via a home run), but time was starting to run out for the Brewers to tie the game.

So the Cubs managed to stay alive, just like the Tigers earlier today. And tomorrow night, the Cubs will try to tie the division series to force an ultimate game, which would take place on Saturday if necessary.

PMLB
  • Trey Yesavage: if he pitches tonight, it’ll be later in the game.

  • Yankees fans booed the Canadiens anthem, although Don Mattingly was shown on screen to prevent fans from booing.

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Tigers force final match

This afternoon, the Tigers hosted the Mariners. The Mariners’ goal was to end the series with a win. And the Tigers’ goal was to stay in sight, trailing 2-1 in the series.

It didn’t start well for Detroit, as the Mariners took a three-point lead into the game. In the second, fourth and fifth, the visitors scored a point.

But the Detroit Tigers brought out their sense of urgency and reminded everyone why they dominated the regular season for so many months.

We tend to forget this because of the end of the season, but…

Basically, in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers scored a run in three consecutive at-bats. That made it 3-3, and the game was within reach for both teams.

But from then on, the Tigers took charge. Offensively and defensively, everything was smiling on A.J. Hinch’s men… and Javier Baez was at the heart of it all.

After four runs allowed in the sixth inning, another in the seventh and a final one in the eighth, the Mariners had escaped. The game ended 9-3.

On Friday evening, the Tigers will send Tarik Skubal to the mound with the wind in his sails. And at this point, the Michigan team has as good a chance as any of making it to the championship series – and avoiding a looooong trip to the Yankees or Blue Jays.

PMLB
  • Kevin Gausman is not expected to pitch tonight. Trey Yesavage is an option.

  • George Springer is used as DH to keep him in the offensive lineup when the club brings in a defensive outfielder late in the game.

  • Javier Baez defends the sequence where he yawns.

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MLB in brief: Bo Bichette starts running again | The importance of Daulton Varsho

Bo Bichette starts running again

Good, even if he didn’t look too comfortable.

The importance of Daulton Varsho

With hindsight, how do we judge the transaction?

No change in Houston

Manager and GM will return in 2026.

Today’s line-ups

Anthony Santander is back in right field.

The Yankees, on the other hand, are going for balance.

New owner sought

A fan bought an ad in a Cleveland newspaper asking for a change of ownership for the Guardians.

He’s back

The fan who caught Cal Raleigh’s home run yesterday is at today’s game.

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The Mets refused to acquire Garrett Hook

The Red Sox haven’t been perfect in recent years.

However, using part of the superb bank of prospects to pick up Garrett Crochet, who signed a contract extension in town, has to be considered a big coup.

Can we even call it a stroke of genius?

At the time, I wondered why the Baltimore Orioles hadn’t gotten their hands on Hook. The club needed help on the mound and had their hands full with youngsters.

I don’t know if Hook was open to signing long-term in Baltimore… but we do know that in 2024, at the deadline, he didn’t want to pitch in the playoffs without a contract extension. One might think that signing a long-term contract just about anywhere wasn’t an impossible scenario to consider.

And even if he had said no to the Orioles, they had him under their control for two years. That was something.

But now we also have to wonder why the Mets didn’t acquire Captain Hook. Because, according to Jon Heyman and Zack Scott, a former GM in New York and former manager in Boston, there were discussions about it.

But because the price was too high (Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams and more), the Mets quickly said no.

Scott, who briefly managed the Mets, would have said yes to that. He knows Hook was open to a contract extension, and he doesn’t believe the two prospects discussed will become stars.

Interesting guy to watch.

David Stearns was so used to managing in a small market in Milwaukee (where prospects are more valuable because the Brewers can’t afford their ambitions on the free-agent market) that he passed up the opportunity to pick up one of the league’s best arms.

And it cost his Mets a playoff spot in 2025. Stearns will have to learn from this and say yes if such an opportunity should present itself again in the next few years.

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Four teams face elimination tonight

There are currently eight teams still alive.

And tonight, for the last time this season, there will be four games on the menu. We’re talking about two games #3 in the National and two games #4 in the American.

  • American: Mariners and Blue Jays lead series 2-1
  • National: Dodgers and Brewers lead series 2-0
MLB

And that’s not counting the Canadiens-Maple Leafs NHL match-up. Big night of sports in Quebec, isn’t it?

Since we’re talking about a 3-of-5 series, it’s safe to assume that four teams will be forced to return home tonight, and that the final four will be official by tomorrow morning.

However, it’s also possible to believe that no one will be eliminated tonight, and that tomorrow will see two #4 games in the National. If all goes to plan, game #5 will take place on Friday in the American and on Saturday in the National.

So we’ll be keeping a close eye on the day’s four duels.

MLB

At 3:08 p.m., Bryce Miller and Casey Mize will cross swords in Detroit. Will the Tigers have the resources to survive without Tarik Skubal on the mound? Hard to say.

The Mariners have a great forward line and good pitching. Will they advance to the championship series for the first time since 2001?

At 5:08 p.m., Quinn Priester and Jameson Taillon cross swords in Chicago. Will the Cubs, who have been out of their league since the start of the series, manage to stay alive? If so, Pete-Crow Armstrong and Kyle Tucker will have to step up.

The Brewers haven’t won a round since 2018. Will that change?

At 7:08pm, Louis Varland and Cam Schlittler will cross swords in New York. The Yankees face elimination and will be hoping their pitcher is as good as he was against the Red Sox last week.

And in Toronto, the bullpen will have to hold its own, which is quite a mandate. Louis Varland got away with it yesterday, which has been a rarity lately. He’ll face Aaron Judge again early in the game, which will be one to watch.

At 9:08pm, Aaron Nola and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will cross swords in Los Angeles. Nola isn’t having a big season, but Yamamoto is. The Dodgers are powerful and the Phillies are lacking in vigor these days.

This will be quite a challenge for the Phillies, who don’t want to get swept in their first playoff round.

Of course, we invite you to tune in to these games on RDS and TVA Sports, and to follow us on our site for the latest developments. It’s going to be a big day.

And don’t miss our podcast tomorrow evening.

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Aaron Judge has changed the narrative with a new impetus

The question that concerned Aaron Judge for most of the season was not whether he would win his third American League MVP award in four years, although nothing is certain yet, but whether he would finally play up to his talent in the playoffs.

Prior to Tuesday, in 20 playoff plate appearances, Judge had three walks, two singles and a double for a .176 batting average and a .235 power percentage. He had never hit a home run.

But let’s just say that the New York Yankees captain was there when it mattered most, hitting probably the biggest long ball of his career last night (Tuesday) against the Toronto Blue Jays.

This bomb came off a 99.7 MPH fastball 1.2 feet from home plate, almost at elbow height. It was the first time since MLB began tracking such statistics in 2008 that a batter cannoned a long ball on a pitch thrown so hard and so far inside. Given the increase in velocity in recent years, there’s a good chance this is the first time in MLB history.

That makes a total of six home runs for Judge when his team faces elimination. We tend to forget that when it comes to evaluating his performances at the fall dance.

Judge currently boasts a .500 batting average in the current playoffs and an OPS of 1.304. Let’s just say that’s a bit of a change from the narrative of recent years.

That narrative isn’t always accurate, and it’s not always easy to overcome.

Ted Williams had 25 career playoff at-bats, hit safely in five of them, and was always seen as someone who didn’t perform when it counted. Barry Bonds hit for a .471 average and had a 1.294 OPS in the 2002 World Series, but the San Francisco Giants lost and he had hit for .196 in his previous five Octobers, so nobody cared.

Judge’s legacy is still incomplete, but in New York, it will be a disappointment if he doesn’t win a World Series. And Judge knows better than anyone that the work isn’t done, either this year or for his career.

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The Blue Jays looked like the Yankees last night

It was looking good for the Blue Jays.

Last night, with the club leading 6-1, it was easy to believe that John Schneider’s men would have their chance to sweep the division series against the Bombardiers.

But that didn’t happen.

In a 9-6 setback for the Birds, the Yankees scored eight times in a row. The local club’s sense of urgency was palpable, let’s face it. So much the better for the show – and for Aaron Boone’s job.

So instead of thinking that the Blue Jays won the series without Bo Bichette or that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is really on fire, the story is completely different.

Why? Because the Blue Jays looked like the Yankees yesterday. And that’s no compliment for a club normally renowned for its excellent defensive play.

Defensively, the club had its worst game in a long time. Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the ball rolling in the first inning on a base-roller. Addison Barger fell victim to the wind when he just had to leave the ball to Davis Schneider.

We can also mention Anthony Santander, who has no idea how to dive (couldn’t George Springer have played defensively, for one game?) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who was soft on a roller that led to the Yankees’ eighth run.

The result? Not only did it allow the Yankees to score runs, it put pressure on a pitching corps that didn’t need it. Absolutely not, in fact.

Shane Bieber and the relievers who showed up in the game weren’t helped by the Blue Jays’ defensive players, but they didn’t exactly get the job done, either.

MLB

And let’s just say that since Trey Yesavage’s departure in game #2, the Blue Jays relievers have reminded us that it was normal to have doubts about them. Very normal, in fact.

Remember that seven relievers were used on Sunday, after Yesavage.

MLB

In three games, only three of the ten relievers did not give an earned run: Jeff Hoffman, Yariel Rodriguez and Seranthony Dominguez. The other seven gave up between one and three.

Not ideal, you say?

The fact that six relievers were used yesterday means that, on the heels of a day when the club will be relying on its bullpen to win, only four pitchers are sure to be fresh.

We’re talking about the following guys: Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Dominguez, Eric Lauer and Justin Bruihl. The others will have to go two-for-two if they’re called upon to pitch at Yankee Stadium.

Do the Yankees, who will have Cam Schlittler pitching, have a possible path to victory? Yes, even if Schlittler didn’t pitch well in his start this season against the Blue Jays.

Will Kevin Gausman pitch? Possibly. Should the club (I say this knowing it won’t happen) send a pitcher to the injured list so they can insert a Chris Bassitt or a Max Scherzer? I say no for MadMax, but Bassitt…

So it won’t be easy for the Blue Jays, who will have Louis Varland pitch to start the game and then see what happens. But even so, they must remember that even if the tide has turned, it’s the Yankees who will face elimination tonight.

But let’s just say that the margin for manoeuvre is slim. And that’s why everyone will be available on the mound tomorrow.

PMLB
  • A final four-game day today.
MLB
  • Sidney Crosby followed Aaron Judge’s home run.

  • David Ortiz praising the Yankees?

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