The Matchup: Baltimore Orioles (93-69) at Texas Rangers (93-69)
The Time: Friday, 8:37 PM Eastern
The Starting Pitchers: Joe Saunders (3-3, 3.63 ERA) vs. Yu Darvish (16-9, 3.90 ERA)
The Breakdown: Watching the Rangers melt down these past couple of weeks — especially in game 162 vs. the A’s on Wednesday — one is tempted to say that they have zero momentum — maybe negative momentum — heading into the playoffs and are sitting ducks.
Of course, if one were to say that, one would be ignoring the fact that (a) there is no correlation between how a team finishes and how they perform in the playoffs; and (b) momentum, as the old saying goes, is your next day’s starting pitcher. And the Rangers have the way better next day’s starting pitcher.
Yu Darvish hit a rough patch in the middle of the season, but after making some mid-season adjustments he went 5-1 with a 2.35 ERA and 67/15 K/BB ratio in 57 innings over his final eight starts. The Orioles have not faced him at all this year and his is not the most conventional stuff in the world. I really think he’s going to present some problems for the men in orange.
Saunders, meanwhile, is no one’s definition of a shutdown ace. While he pitched well since joining the Orioles in August — a 3.63 ERA and 23/8 K/BB ratio in 45 innings — he is a lefty, the Rangers are righty heavy and they have beat him up like he owed them money the times they’ve faced him. The Orioles bullpen has been the team’s strength this year, but they’re gonna need to be ready early in this one, methinks.
The Prediction: The Orioles are a great story and, if you don’t have a rooting interest in these AL playoffs, it’s hard not to root for them. But a one-and-done game against a tough pitcher on the road in the first playoff series most of these guys have ever seen? Eh, not liking their chances. Rangers 6, Orioles 3.
-
Getty Images
Less than a month after rejoining the Red Sox following a concussion catcher David Ross is back on the seven-day concussion disabled list with a second brain injury. Ross took a foul tip to the catcher’s mask in Friday’s game and manager John Farrell explained yesterday: He’s still having symptoms with the concussion. The foul…
-
Tweet of the Day: Dustin Ackley is recovering from his sabermetrics abuse
Jun 19, 2013, 1:00 PM EDT
AP
Had me laughing: Must be fewer sabermetricians in Tacoma: Dustin Ackley hitting .383/.490/.519 in 99 PA in Triple-A. #clearyourhead — Brent Hershey (@BrentHQ) June 19, 2013 And it doesn’t appear as if the improvement is based on Ackley becoming more aggressive or anything. He has walked in 16.16 of plate appearances during his minor…
-
Nationals activate Danny Espinosa from the DL … and send him to the minors
Jun 19, 2013, 12:46 PM EDT
AP
Danny Espinosa is recovered enough from his wrist injury to be activated from the disabled list, but the second baseman was so bad before being shut down and so bad during his rehab assignment that the Nationals have decided to option him to Triple-A. Anthony Rendon hitting .338 filling in for Espinosa at second base…
-
Look, I love Harvey and Wheeler and wish them nothing but success in all they do outside of games against the Braves. And I think anyone wishing injury on any player — like, say, Joe Simpson seemed to do in yesterday’s game, proving again that he’s awful — is just horrible. But Mets fans would…
-
AP
Out since May 20 with a strained oblique, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has been cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment tonight at Double-A. Assuming he doesn’t have a setback Utley’s rehab stint is expected to be just a few games, potentially setting him up to come off the disabled list this weekend. Philadelphia…
-
“It would be a dream come true” for Bud Norris to play for the Giants
Jun 19, 2013, 11:32 AM EDT
Getty Images
Jon Paul Morosi sat down with Astros starter Bud Norris. Norris knows the score: he plays for the Astros and, while the Astros are mildly exceeding expectations, he is clearly a guy they will consider trading for prospects at the deadline. And Norris makes no secret of where he’d like to end up: with the…
-
Getty Images
Five weeks after being placed on the disabled list with a strained elbow Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz has been cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A. According to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com the plan is for Putz to pitch Thursday and Saturday, take Sunday off, and then try to work back-to-back games…
-
I think it was dumb that the Astros put an actual hill in center field when they built their ballpark. But if they hadn’t, we wouldn’t get to see Carlos Gomez climb it and make a great catch. And that’s worth the inevitable broken ankle someone suffers on it someday, yes?
-
Yankees get one-time Mets top prospect Fernando Martinez from Astros
Jun 19, 2013, 10:47 AM EDT
Getty Images
Fernando Martinez was once an elite prospect in the Mets’ farm system, but they let him go for nothing last year and now the Astros have soured on him as well, trading the 24-year-old outfielder to the Yankees for rookie-ball pitcher Charles Basford. I’m sure Mets fans are dreading the possibility of Martinez suddenly figuring…
-
Major League Baseball: not so impressed with the San Jose lawsuit
Jun 19, 2013, 10:30 AM EDT
Major League Baseball released a statement about the San Jose lawsuit last night: “In considering the issues related to the Oakland Athletics, Major League Baseball has acted in the best interests of our fans, our communities and the league. The lawsuit is an unfounded attack on the fundamental structures of a professional sports league. It…
-
AP
It seemed likely that Colorado could find a taker for Eric Young Jr. after designating him for assignment last week and sure enough the Rockies traded the utility man to the Mets for right-hander Collin McHugh. Young is far from an impact player, but as a switch-hitter with defensive versatility and blazing speed he’s plenty…
-
Vin Scully will take over the Dodgers Twitter for tonight’s Yankees-Dodgers game
Jun 19, 2013, 9:43 AM EDT
AP
This could either be great fun or a total disaster: #VinScully will take over @Dodgers for the second game of the doubleheader. The twittering and hashtaging begins at 4pm PT. — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 18, 2013 Since the Dodgers are on the east coast Scully isn’t travelling with the team and will…
-
Reuters
Fun story from Jeff Passan at Yahoo!. In the course of his Matt Harvey/Zack Wheeler feature he passes along a tale from last year when Matt Harvey was a rookie and Jon Rauch was a reliever for the Mets. It seems that Harvey was trying to take a nap in the clubhouse and Rauch tried…
-
It’s hard to grasp how truly awful Josh Hamilton was on Tuesday night. He came to the plate five times. Here’s what happened: First Inning: No score, Mike Trout on first, nobody out, Hamilton grounds into a double play; Third Inning: Mariners up 2-1, Mike Trout on first, nobody out, Hamilton grounds into a double…
-
Brandon DuBreuil of the Manny Does Taiwan blog passes along some Asian news reports which say that Manny Ramirez has been removed from the roster of the Taiwanese team for which he has been playing and will leave the country on June 21. There are mixed reports about why he is leaving, with some saying he…
-
Getty Images
Mets 4, Braves 3; Mets 6, Braves 1: New York Mets fans are hoping this is a glimpse of the future. Matt Harvey dominating in one game, Zack Wheeler dominating in the next. And, worth noting, Dillion Gee dominating in the game before those even if they did lose in the end. There’s so much…
-
Getty Images
Indians closer Chris Perez is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list this Friday. But there’s reason to wonder whether that will happen. Perez made a rehab appearance — his second — on Tuesday evening with the Double-A Akron Aeros and got absolutely shelled. Facing the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate from Trenton, New Jersey, the…
-
Getty Images
The Zack Wheeler era began on a promising note. Making his major league debut on Tuesday evening as part of a doubleheader at Atlanta’s Turner Field, the 23-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings, fanning seven Braves batters and allowing just four hits. Wheeler issued a total of five walks and looked a little bit shaky…
-
Getty Images
As first reported by Alex Speier of WEEI.com, the Red Sox have placed starter Clay Buchholz on the 15-day disabled list because of a neck strain. The move was made retroactive to June 9, so the right-hander will be eligible for activation in a week. Buchholz tested his neck with a bullpen session on Tuesday…
-
Donovan Tate, a spring training no-show, has finally returned to the Padres organization
Jun 18, 2013, 8:28 PM EDT
Four Seam Images
Donovan Tate, the third overall pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, was a no-show this spring at Padres camp due to what was described by club officials as a personal matter. Now more than four months later, that personal matter has apparently been resolved. Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that Tate finally arrived at…
