What started as a 16-team MLB playoff field is already down to just five.
Thursday’s action saw three teams punch their tickets to their respective League Championship Series, while another three packed their bags and said goodbye to a 2020 season that will go down in history.
Villains or not, the Houston Astros finished off the Oakland Athletics in Game 4 and are back in the ALCS for the fourth year in a row. They await the winner of the New York Yankees–Tampa Bay Rays series after the former staved off elimination and forced a decisive Game 5.
It was an action-packed day of baseball, so let’s get to the takeaways…
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Padres’ attempted coup runs out of steam
The young Padres looked well ahead of schedule all season in their quest to overthrow the Dodgers for NL West supremacy. It was an admirable effort, but they’ll have to wait at least another year after the Dodgers put the finishing touches on the sweep with a dominant 12-3 win in Game 3, highlighted by catcher Will Smith’s historic five-hit performance.
With Dinelson Lamet unavailable for the series and fellow ace Mike Clevinger removed from the NLDS roster after re-aggravating his elbow issue in Game 1, the Padres were forced to lean heavily on their bullpen. Their effort was admirable but it was clear the stable of relievers just didn’t have anything left in the tank in Game 3. All told, San Diego played six playoff games and used at least eight different pitchers in five of them. That’s probably going to catch up with you at some point in October.
Perhaps the series plays out differently with a healthy Lamet and Clevinger, but Los Angeles looked like the more complete team in all facets of the game — the Dodgers even out-celebrated Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Co. Even though this series ended in lopsided fashion, the rivalry between these juggernaut squads should only continue to get more intense in the years to come.
This season, Dan picks an issue, trend, news item or story from around MLB, and digs in on it with a guest. And he does it five times a week for about 15 minutes a day. Enough time to inform and entertain, but also get fans back to all the sports going on.
Montgomery dances around trouble, Yankees’ bullpen shuts the door
Jordan Montgomery drew the start for the Yankees with their season on the line, and he was able to tiptoe his way out of a couple sticky situations. Tampa Bay opened the third inning by putting runners on second and third with no outs, but Montgomery limited the damage to a single run. He stranded two more Rays runners in the fourth before passing the baton to the bullpen.
Those relievers never gave the Rays any glimmer of hope. New York manager Aaron Boone didn’t mix and match to fill the remaining five innings, he simply rolled out his three-headed monster of Chad Green, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman one after another. None of them surrendered so much as a hit, with the only baserunner reaching on a walk.
Now the Yankees hand the ball to ace Gerrit Cole on short rest in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday — a scenario that is exactly why they forked over $324 million for him last winter.
Rays need Lowe to step up
Brandon Lowe was the Rays’ most productive hitter in 2020, finishing the season with a .916 OPS and a team-leading 14 home runs. He’s been MIA against the Yankees, and Tampa is really missing his bat out of the two-hole in its lineup. Lowe drove in the Rays’ only run of the 5-1 loss on a fielder’s choice, but he remains hitless for the series.
With the way the Yankees can score, Tampa Bay needs its best offensive player to rise to the occasion. Breakout playoff star Randy Arozarena can only do so much on his own.
Correa leads charge in record-setting Astros clincher
If it seemed like baseballs were flying out of Dodger Stadium at a record pace throughout the Astros-Athletics series, your mind wasn’t playing tricks on you. The two AL West clubs combined to hit 24 home runs over their four games, besting the previous LDS mark of 22 set in 1995 courtesy of the Yankees and Seattle Mariners.
Carlos Correa did most of the damage in the series-clinching 11-6 victory, connecting for a go-ahead three-run shot in the fourth inning that put Houston up for good as part of his five-RBI day. That long ball was Correa’s third of the series, as he finished the ALDS with a .500 batting average and 11 RBIs.
The first-overall pick of the 2012 draft had a quiet season, posting a .709 OPS with five homers in 58 games, but has come alive in October. He’s battled a slew of injuries over his career, but when he’s healthy and playing to his potential he undoubtedly belongs in the same breath as the other top shortstops around MLB. It feels like he’s been around forever, but the Puerto Rico native is still only 26 years old.
Marlins’ bizarre, impressive streak finally ends
The Marlins entered the NLDS with a perfect 7-0 record in playoff series, with the franchise’s only two post-season appearances prior to this one resulting in World Series titles. That strange, impressive run has finally come to an end.
Atlanta jumped all over Miami early in Game 3, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the third inning and never looking back, ultimately completing their second consecutive sweep with a 7-0 win. The Braves remain perfect this season when leading by four runs or more and look like a force to be reckoned with, especially with the way they’re pitching. Thursday’s contest was Atlanta’s fourth shutout in five playoff games.
Despite their series loss, the Marlins deserve a ton of credit for their 2020 campaign. After posting by far the worst record in the National League last year, Miami surprised the baseball world by not only reaching the playoffs, but upsetting the Chicago Cubs in the first round.
Even though the expanded playoff field helped their cause, the Marlins had to navigate a COVID-19 outbreak early in the season that left them scrambling to field a competitive roster. Now equipped with some valuable experience, the future looks bright for these young Marlins.
The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.
The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.
Trends of the Week
The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.
In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.
When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.
Upsets of the Week
The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.
Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.
NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.
Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.
Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
