Here are the scores. Here are the highlights:
Yankees 12, Rays 1: Giancarlo Stanton homered twice and Miguel Andujar and Luke Voit also went deep as the Yankees routed the Rays and all but ensured themselves home field in the Wild Card game. The talk of the game, however, was CC Sabathia hitting Jesus Sucre and getting ejected two innings short of what was all but certain to be his $500K bonus-triggering 155th inning pitched. Which while maybe not the single dumbest instance of unwritten rules enforcement ever — I’ll reserve that title for such acts which cost a team a game or got someone injured — was certainly the most expensive instance of it. Afterwards Sabathia said he didn’t care, saying “I don’t make decisions based on money, I guess,” and “I felt like it was the right thing to do.” Given that Sabathia has made over $200 million in his career I suppose he won’t miss that bonus.
Rockies 5, Phillies 3: David Dahl homered in his fourth straight game, Trevor Story and Gerardo Parra also went deep, the Rockies won their seventh straight and their lead over the Dodgers in the NL West is now a full game with three left to play. It’s the Rockies longest winning streak of the season. I don’t believe in momentum and I don’t think there is a strong correlation between a team finishing the season hot and going deep in the playoffs, but it’s certainly the case that the Rockies are hot at the right time for purposes of actually getting to the big tournament.
Mets 4, Braves 1: Devin Mesoraco hit a three-run homer and Kevin Plawecki hit a solo shot to back Jason Vargas who tossed seven-shutout innings against a shorthanded Braves lineup. Atlanta rested Freddie Freeman and Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson is still out with an injury and the Braves talked about Julio Teheran‘s start as if it were a mere tuneup for the playoffs. Which is fine I suppose, but it’s also the case that they need to make up a game on the Rockies and/or the Dodgers in the next three days to avoid starting the NLDS on the road and you’d figure that would be a higher priority.
Royals 2, Indians 1: The Royals season has been eminently forgettable, but Adalberto Mondesi‘s coming out party has been quite a thing. He homered in this one and then, with two out in the tenth, he drew a walk, stole second and third base and then came home with the winning run when Sal Perez hit a walkoff single. Mondesi has stole 30 bases in only 72 games and, while that walk was only the ninth of the season and his OBP could be better, he has been an exciting presence in a game that, of late, has not been particularly exciting.
Cubs 3, Pirates 0: Jon Lester tossed six shutout innings, David Bote tripled in two runs and Daniel Murphy knocked in a third. The win gives Chicago a one-game lead in the NL Central with three to play. The three the Cubs have to play come against the Cardinals, which is a taller order than the three Milwaukee has to play against the Tigers.
Twins 9, Tigers 3: Willians Astudillo had a two-run single and a two-run double to lead the Twins attack. Tyler Austin drove in three. Astudillo is a late season callup who is trying to work his way into the Twins plans for 2019. He’s doing a good job of it, batting .357/372/.524 with three homers and 19 RBI in 26 games. Viva La Tortuga.
Rangers 2, Mariners 0: Ariel Jurado blanked Seattle for six innings and three Texas relievers combined to complete the three-hit shutout. Ronald Guzman singled in one of Texas’ runs and Isiah Kiner-Falefa took a bases-loaded plunking to knock in the second. The Rangers have won five of their last six against the Mariners.
Astros vs. Orioles — POSTPONED:
Oh, what’ll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what’ll you do now, my darling young one?
I’m a-goin’ back out ’fore the rain starts a-fallin’
I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
Where the executioner’s face is always well hidden
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten
Where black is the color, where none is the number
And I’ll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’
But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall
