Four Teams On Brink of Elimination In Wild Card Series

The Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies are each one win away from going on to the Division Series after winning Game 1 of their best-of-threeWild Card Series.

Let’s take a look at how it went down.

Rangers ride 7 strong innings from starter Jordan Montgomery to Game 1 win over Rays

The Rangers stumbled and bumbled through the end of the regular season, flew cross country after Sunday’s loss, and didn’t practice on Monday.

Then they flipped a switch.

In the first Wild Card game of the day, the Rangers beat the Rays 4-0 and it wasn’t that close. Texas starter Jordan Montgomery pitched 7 dominant innings by mixing his fastball, sinker, changeup and curveball to keep the Rays off balance. To be fair, Montgomery had some help from home plate umpire Carlos Torres who consistently called pitches thrown by Montgomery outside the zone as strikes. I counted at least 6 called strikes on Montgomery pitches that looked like the second pitch below.

Did Torres’ strike zone throw the Rays off? Did it provide an extra edge ti Montgomery in attacking hitters? Maybe. But Montgomery looked like he didn’t need much help as he scattered six hits and made two excellent defensive plays in the 2nd inning to snuff out a Rays rally.

Defense was the difference maker in the game. The Rangers played flawless baseball in the field, laying out on line drives, picking hot grounders on the infield, and throwing bullets to nab runners on the bases.

The Rays looked like the Bad News Bears in the field and it cost them big time with 4 errors and other plays that could have been—and should have been—made. First baseman Yandy Diaz looked like he was moving in wet sand. Center fielder José Siri (just back from a wrist injury) misplayed a bloop single into a double for Corey Seager. Catcher René Pinto threw a ball into center field trying to throw out Leody Tavares on a steal.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was good but not great. The defensive miscues behind him pushed his pitch count up. He lasted only 5 innings. He left with 2 on and no out in the 6th inning. Both runners scored.

Tampa Bay had a team 118 wRC+ this season, the best in the American League. They were shut out just 7 times all season. Jordan Montgomery made them flail at the plate.

Montgomery was so economical with his pitches that he breezed through 7 innings, leaving only 2 for the Rangers’ shaky bullpen. Aroldis Chapman didn’t allow a baserunner in the 8th and José Leclerc closed it out in the 9th.

The Rays will send Zach Eflin to the mound in Game 2 against the Rangers’ starter Nathan Eovaldi.

Two home runs by Royce Lewis power Twins to Game 1 win over Blue Jays

Yesterday morning, I called the Twins’ Royce Lewis the team’s X-factor. Yesterday afternoon, Lewis hit two home runs off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, giving the Twins all the offense they needed behind starter Pablo Lopez. The Twins won 3-1.

Lewis became the first player since Evan Longoria in 2008 to homer twice in his postseason debut and only the 10th player in MLB history to do so. Like Longoria, Lewis hit his two homers in his first two postseason at-bat. The only other player to accomplish that feat was Gary Gaetti in 1987.

Lewis was out of action the last two weeks of the regular season with a hamstring strain and his ability to play in the Wild Card Series was in doubt until Monday. By the looks of it, the time off worked wonders.

The Twins played spectacular defense behind Lopez and the four relievers who backed him up. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor made a diving catch in the top of the 2nd on a sinking liner off the bat of Alejandro Kirk. Then Taylor saved the game with a leaping grab against the wall in the top of the 6th after the Jays scored 1 run and were rallying to tie the game.

In the 4th inning, shortstop Carlos Correa also threw out Dante Bichette at home on a squibber that third baseman Jorge Polanco couldn’t handle. And then Donovan Solano made a diving stop on a grounder by George Springer to end the game.

The Twins had lost 18 consecutive postseason games before Tuesday’s victory.

Toronto will send José Berrios to the mound to start Game 2. Sonny Gray will be on the bump for the Twins.

In twist, Diamondbacks use homers, not speed, to beat Brewers

This will be known as the Evan Longoria game.

The Diamondbacks’ third baseman—who will turn 38 on Saturday—turned back the clock last night. Longoria made one great defensive play after another and may have saved the game for Arizona by starting an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the 5th inning when the Brewers had bases loaded. Longoria leapt to catch a line drive off the bat of Tyrone Taylor and then threw to second base to double off Willy Adames.

Arizona won the game 6-3.

The Brewers struck first and scored 3 runs in the first two innings off rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt only threw 2 2/3 innings but the Diamondbacks’ bullpen finished the job with great defense behind them.

The D’Backs rallied in the 3rd to tie the game with with two home runs off Brewers starter Corbin Burnes: a two-run home run by Corbin Carroll followed immediately by a solo shot by Ketel Marte. Gabriel Moreno added another solo home run in the 4th.

The score stayed 4-3 until the top of the 9th when Arizona added two insurance runs off Brewers closer Devin Williams on a Christian Walker bases-clearing double.

Two interesting notes.

First, one of my X-factors for this series focused on the D’Backs’ running game and low caught stealing rate of Brewers catcher William Contreras. Contreras threw out two runners attempting to steal in Game 1, and while that alone didn’t keep Arizona off the board, it may pay dividends in Game 2.

Second, the D’Backs won two out of three replay reviews on critical plays. The first review overturned a hit by pitch on Brice Turang with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 5th. Had the call not been overturned, it would have tied the game. The second overturned call was on one of Longoria’s great defensive plays. On a weak grounder, Longoria bobbled the ball initially, recovered and threw to second to nab Christian Yelich, who had wandered too far off the base.

Arizona will send its ace, Zac Gallen, to the mound in Game 2. Freddy Peralta will start for the Brewers.

Phillies do Phillies things, take Game 1 over Marlins

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler dominated the Marlins, giving up 1 run in 6 2/3 innings. He looked unhittable until the 7th inning, mixing and matching his fastball, sinker, and sweeper. The pitch clock was no problem for Wheeler, even with the roaring crowd noise at Citizens Bank Park.

Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos led a balanced Phillies’ offense that scored 4 runs off singles and doubles—giving the Marlins a taste of their own medicine.

The Phillies’ bullpen was rock solid over 2 1/3 innings, led by Jose Alvarado, Jeff Hoffman, and Craig Kimbrel.

Braxton Garrett will take the ball for the Marlins in Game 2. The Phillies will send Aaron Nola to the mound.