Going into the weekend, the only race for the postseason was in the AL West. However, the two teams leading in each league's wild card race got swept by the team closest to them. The Cardinals took three from the Braves, and the Rays swept the Red Sox. The Cardinals are now 4.5 games behind the Braves, and the Rays are only 3.5 games back.
The Cardinals and Braves series was a close one. The first two games were both won by a score of 4-3, with the first game going into extra innings. The Braves played well, but the Cardinals were better. The first game went to extra innings after Pujols ties the game in the ninth with a hit off of Craig Kimbrel. In the other two games, the Cardinals put up runs early, and the Braves offense couldn't keep up. The Braves are a team that is built much like the Colts in football, before Peyton Manning got hurt. Their team is setup to play with a lead. The Braves want to get six innings out of their starter, try to built a lead, and then shorten the game with their bullpen. The Colts want to get out to a lead, and then let their pass rushers loose, and create havoc in the backfield to cement a win. The problem with both, is that their offense can't be counted on to give them a lead in the early stages of the game with any consistency. They have a few hitters who are playing well, but they also lack depth, and have a few holes in their lineup. Even their tremendous pitching depth is being tested. They're Class-AAA rotation is great, but very young, and will have some growing pains adjusting to major league hitters, which isn't ideal for a team trying to make the playoffs. St. Louis on the other hand has the offense to stick with them, but they need their starting pitching to remain consistent and their bullpen to be more reliable. I think that the Braves should still win the wild card, but a team with Fredi is never a sure thing.
In the more talked about series recently, the Rays swept the Red Sox down in Tampa, and didn't look particularly well doing it. The first and third games of the series were blowouts, with the Rays scoring at least seven and not allowing more than two runs in each game. The middle game was close, but Tampa still prevailed. At this point, the Red Sox only have one reliable starter, Jon Lester. The rest of the rotation is full of question marks, mostly because of injuries. The Rays on the other hand, have confidence in all of their pitchers right now, and are planning on calling up Matt Moore. Moore won't start, but could have the same type of impact that David Price did in the 2008 playoff run. With the acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Red Sox are in it to win it, and want to prove to their fans and themselves that they're still in it. They could look to pick up starting pitching help for the final two weeks, even though anyone that they get won't be eligible for their playoff roster. This week, the Rays pal the Orioles, while he Red Sox get the Blue Jays, then they'll match up again for a four game series. The match ups look to be Hellickson vs. Miller, Shields vs. Weiland, Niemann vs. Lester, and Price vs. Wakefield. Tampa looks to have the advantage in three of the four games, and this could be a very big week in determining the wild card, especially if the Red Sox continue to struggle against an underrated Toronto team, and the Rays take care of business against a lowly Orioles club.
In Other News:
I went to my first game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington yesterday. It was free patriotic hat day, so now I have a hat that looks very much like what teams wear during the 4th of July weekend. C.J. Wilson pitched eight strong innings for the Rangers and they ended up winning 8-1 against the A's. The game went fast, with all of the runs being scored in four half innings. It was also $1 ice cream day, which was pretty much awesome. I learned a few things that I'll keep in mind next time I go; 1. you can bring food into the stadium, as long as it hasn't been opened, isn't alcohol, and isn't a glass container. 2. you can valet your car for free if you have a Lexus, but get their early, or they'll run out of space, and they park it like a mile away, and it takes forever to get back.
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