MLB Roundup 10/13: Brewers take Game One of NLCS

I missed this yesterday, so we’re playing a little bit of catchup here.

Brewers escape with Game One Victory

Make it twelve wins in a row for the Brewers, who just cannot be stopped right now. After an extended break leading up to this NLCS, the Dodgers were actually the ones who struck first in this game when Manny Machado blasted a solo home run in the second inning to give L.A. an early 1-0 lead. Not long after that, however, the tide would change. Brandon Woodruff, a reliever, came up to hit in the third and blasted a solo home run of his own off of Clayton Kershaw. Then, the Dodgers got bad defense galore, largely from Yasmani Grandal behind the plate, and Milwaukee was able to get another run across the plate to tie the game. Really, the Dodgers were lucky they weren’t down by more than one. Except, well, an inning later the Brewers scored three more and eventually, after seven, had a commanding 6-1 lead. The extra insurance run they picked up in the seventh turned out to be big, however, as the Dodgers rallied late, scoring three in the eighth and one in the ninth to make it a one-run game with two outs in the ninth and the tying run at third. Justin Turner couldn’t get the big hit, though, striking out to preserve Milwaukee’s series-opening victory.

You can get the Milwaukee perspective here, and the Dodgers perspective here.

Chili Davis fired by the Cubs

This isn’t really a huge story around the league, but I figured people around these parts would be interested. One of the big storylines last season after the Red Sox and their disappointing lineup were eliminated from the postseason was that hitting coach Chili Davis just didn’t fit well as the team’s hitting coach. I’m usually not one to criticize hitting or pitching coaches, because generally from the outside it’s hard to determine just what kind of impact they have on the team. However, with Davis, it was clear that he just wasn’t making the right connections with this lineup or pulling the right strings. It was time for a new direction, and after he was let go he latched on in Chicago. Well, the Cubs had a similarly disappointing year that ended with an early exit, and they’ve made a similar decision. They fired Davis earlier in the week, and having been let go after just one season in Chicago that may be Davis’ last job for a long time.

Didi Gregorius to undergo Tommy John surgery

The Yankees held their end-of-season press conference on Friday, and they waiting until the very end to drop the biggest news of the day. Aaron Boone let the press know that shortstop Didi Gregorius suffered an injury, likely during Game One of the ALDS, that will require Tommy John surgery this winter. This is obviously a huge deal, and while there’s no exact timetable Gregorius will miss a significant chunk of the 2019 season because of this. Gregorius was a huge part of that Yankees team, providing plus defense at shortstop while producing well at the plate from the left side. They have a few options to replace him, including one internal option in Gleyber Torres. The young infielder came up as a shortstop, after all. The hot, and logical, speculation is that this makes it even more likely they’ll target Manny Machado this winter. That was always going to happen whether or not this injury occurred, though.

Joe West named Crew Chief in ALCS

Did you guys have fun with Angel Hernandez in the ALDS? Well, get ready for another one of everyone’s favorite umpires, Joe West. The veteran umpire is going to be the crew chief in the ALCS, which is not going to many fans on either side very happy. West is probably a better umpire than Hernandez, at least in terms of making the correct calls, but he is not a player-friendly umpire. He has a reputation of trying to put himself on the center stage of these games and, well, it’s deserved. Should be fun!