Finally, a Bush win you can feel good about...
Brewers 4, Phillies 1 (Phillies lead 2-1)
Did anyone really doubt David Bush?
The Brewers got to senior citizen Jamie Moyer early in their must-win game, knocking him out after four innings and an incredible 90 pitches. Bush lasted until the sixth, when he left a runner on base and the next pitcher allowed him to score, leading to the Phillies' only run.
Well, sort of.
In the ninth, Philadelphia loaded the bases, down 4-1 with nobody out. The Brewers turned a double play as a run scored from third. Simple, right? Not quite. Milwaukee frantically flipped through the rule book, brought something to the umpire's attention, and Shane Victorino (who ran into the second baseman instead of sliding) was called for interference. Not only were Victorino and the batter called out because of the interference (of course, they were already out on the play), but the other runners on base were not allowed to advance. End result was the double play stood, but the run was erased.
It was probably the only time Milwaukee manager Dale Sveum has ever been referred to as "savvy."
Not that it mattered much: the Brewers were likely going to win either way.
WPA leaders: Bush at 24% and a bunch of others at or below 10%.
Dodgers 3, Cubs 1 (Dodgers win series 3-0)
And there you have it. Through the looking glass, dogs and cats living together. The Dodgers, who won 83 games, have swept the Cubs, who won decidedly more than that. The Cubs scored six runs in three postseason games after averaging 5.3 per game during the season.
None of the three games were particularly close, including because the Cubs didn't take advantage of...well, anything. In their 10 most crucial at-bats last night, Chicago went 0-for-10 with four strikeouts. Same thing on Thursday night: the most important situation in which they got a hit was a single down 5-0 in the fourth.
It was simply a bad series all around for the Cubs, who are no strangers to unexpectedly poor playoff performances. Just ask the 2007 Colorado Rockies.
By the way, the Dodgers won a postseason series for the first time since 1988, when they won the World Series and in particular, won Game 1 on the most unlikely home run you'll ever see in the playoffs.
Today's games
1:07 ET: Brewers* (Suppan) at Phillies (Blanton)
4:07 ET: Rays (Garza) at White Sox* (Danks)
7:07 ET: Angels* (Saunders) at Red Sox (Beckett)
* Must win to stay alive
(Really, Milwaukee? Jeff Suppan?)
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6 comments:
I'm confused. Am I supposed to cheer for the Dodgers because they made the playoffs with two fewer wins than the Jays? Or, am I supposed to be bitter about that whole playoffs-aren't-fair-stuck-in-the-AL-East thing and hate the Dodgers?
Please advise.
And wouldn't it be the 99th "wait till next year" moment?
I think Jays fans can only start complaining about not being in the NL when the Jays start beating NL teams.
I advise that you should hate the Dodgers on general principle. And it's the 100th moment, actually. (1909 would have been the first, so next year is the 101st.) But 101 sounded right at 9 am on a Sunday.
There was no World Series in 1994, though...
There wasn't one last year, either.
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