Sunday, October 01, 2006
9/30/06 recap
American LeagueThe AL Central has still not been decided, and it will come down to the last day. Both the Twins and Tigers were defeated and the division is still tied. If the teams finish tied, it would be the Tigers that took the AL Central crown. When two teams are tied for the lead of the division and both are going to the playoffs anyways, it is the winner of the season series between the tied teams that wins the division. The Tigers are 10-8 against the Twins this year, so they would be the AL Central champions. Any Tigers win or Twins loss gives the Tigers the division.
The Tigers fell behind early, as Zach Miner allowed 7 runs in just 0.1 innings. They rallied back to make it a 9-6 game, but were unable to emerge victorious.
The Twins had just as little success against the White Sox. Minnesota allowed 4 runs in the 3rd and 6 runs total to a lineup that featured no Paul Konerko, Jermaine
Dye, Jim Thome, or Joe Crede. Michael Cuddyer hit a 3-run homer in the 9th for the Twins only runs, his 6th RBI in 2 games, and his 108th RBI of the season.
The Jays came back from a 4-1 deficit with 4 runs in the 7th, with the tying and go-ahead runs scoring on a 2 out Alex Rios triple. The Jays scored again in the 8th when Lyle Overbay hit a slow roller to the right side that allowed Vernon Wells to score from 3rd. Though the Yankees threatened a rally in the 8th, their offense was contained and the Jays once again took a 1 game lead on Boston with a 6-4 win.
Manny Ramirez did not take long to get back on track after several weeks on the bench. He went 2 for 3 with a 6th inning home run that sparked a Red Sox comeback, but the Sox bullpen continues to struggle without Jonathan Papelbon and blew the lead.
The Mariners’ Felix Hernandez has struggled for most of the season, but was still able to end it in a good way. He held the Texas Rangers to just 1 run on 4 hits and struck out 5, lowering his ERA to 4.52. He was backed up by 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre’s 2 home runs, which scored Seattle’s only 3 runs of the game.
The Rays lost their 100th game of the season, 6-1, as Jae Seo’s record fell to 1-8 since moving to Tampa. The Indians’ Jake Westbrook put a good finish on a below average season and Casey Blake hit his 18th and 19th homers of the season to contribute to the victory, Cleveland’s 77th of the season.
National League
After putting so much effort into playoff hopes, the Phillies have been eliminated. They did all they could do by defeating the Marlins 4-3, but both the Dodgers and Padres clinched the available playoff spots with their own victories.
The game between the Phillies and Marlins featured 7 combined runs through the first 3 innings, but after that, the scoring was done. Scott Olsen put the finishing touches on a decent rookie season, although his ERA rose above 4.00. In 6 innings, he allowed 4 runs and struck out 6, while allowing 5 hits and 4 walks. The scoring started with back-to-back home runs by Marlins’ Josh Willingham and Miguel Cabrera in the 1st, but the lead did not last long as the Phillies rallied for 3 runs of their own in the 2nd. The Marlins tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd on an RBI single by pitcher Scott Olsen, but the Phillies would regain the lead for good on Ryan Howard’s 1 out double in the 3rd. The Marlins were able to get a runner to 3rd with 1 out in the 9th, but were unable to score against Tom Gordon, who picked up his 34th save of the season.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the Padres were also victorious. Mike Cameron’s 5th inning 2 run homer gave the Padres a 2-0 lead, and Josh Bard drove in a 3rd run with an RBI infield single in the 6th. Stephen Drew homered in the 7th to give the D-Backs their only run of the game. Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless 9th for San Diego to clinch them a playoff spot for back-to-back seasons for the first time.
The Dodgers are trying desperately to avoid playing the Mets in the first round too, however, and won their 6th in a row, 4-2 over the Giants. Greg Maddux was great on the mound and on offense as well. He pitched 7 innings, allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 4. At the plate he was 1 for 2 with a single and stole his 2nd base of the season.
If the Padres and Dodgers finish in a tie at the top of the NL West, the Padres would be the team named the winner, because they won the season series with the Dodgers.
The Astros, after such an amazing comeback, may finish just short. The Cardinals defeated the Brewers again, while the Astros were able to hang on by defeating the Braves. For the Astros to win the division, they must combine a win with a Cardinals loss, and then the Cardinals would have to lose the makeup game on Monday.
The Padres and Dodgers were reminded of why they want to win the division and play the Cardinals, rather than win the Wild Card and play at Shea Stadium. The Mets defeated the Nationals 13-0, a scoring outburst which included 5 RBIs and a home run from now 48 year old Julio Franco. Tom Glavine held Washington to just 3 hits and didn’t allow any runs in the 6 innings he pitched.
Read or Post a Comment
<< Home