Even as the Houston Astros come closer and closer to completing a historic comeback, it’s still the Tampa Bay Rays who are best positioned to win Game 7 of the ALCS and earn a spot in the World Series.
It might not feel that way after three consecutive Tampa Bay losses, the most recent of which left Game 6 starter Blake Snell ‘disappointed’ that he wasn’t asked to escape a fifth-inning jam on his own. That the normally reliable Rays bullpen allowed five runs only adds to the frustration for Tampa Bay.
For whatever that’s worth, the Astros clearly have the momentum. They now have a legitimate shot at becoming the first team since the 2004 Red Sox to win a series in which they trailed 3-0, and they’re embracing a potential connection with the ‘idiots’ of ’04, watching an ESPN documentary about that team’s epic comeback against the Yankees.
Catch Game 6 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and SN Now. Game 7 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays follows at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and SN Now.
But on a more practical level, the Rays have a better chance at winning Game 7 and claiming the AL pennant. While Dusty Baker’s Astros have been operating from a position of desperation these last three days, the Rays have had the luxury of being more cautious, particularly with their pitching staff. On Saturday, that caution could finally pay off.
Lance McCullers Jr. will start for Houston, and if his stuff is as sharp as it was in Game 2 of the ALCS, the Astros will be in a great position. McCullers Jr. struck out 11 over the course of seven innings Monday, allowing four runs on four hits while touching 97 m.p.h. and generating 20 swinging strikes. Another start like that, and the Astros’ offence would be well-positioned to do the rest.
“We’re relentless,” shortstop Carlos Correa told reporters. “When we said we didn’t want to go home, we really meant that. We want to keep playing baseball and we don’t want this to be the end of our season. We took care of these three games and now we’ve got to take care of one more. If we don’t win that game, it all means nothing.”
Here’s the issue for the Astros, though. If, for whatever reason, McCullers Jr. doesn’t pitch well, their relievers aren’t well-positioned to make up for it. Houston’s bullpen is weak to begin with and its most trusted reliever, Ryan Pressly, has now pitched three days in a row.
In theory, the Astros could turn to Pressly again, as he has thrown just 39 total pitches during those three appearances and never more than 17 in any one game. That’s a big ask, though, since warm-up pitches and pre-game work contribute to the toll on pitchers’ arms, too. Managers almost never ask pitchers to go four times in a row, and even if Pressly offers to pitch there’s a chance his stuff won’t be there.
Sometimes teams can overcome thin bullpens by turning to starters in relief, but Framber Valdez, Houston’s best starter, will presumably be unavailable after throwing 101 pitches in Game 6. Whether Game 4 starter Zack Greinke is available remains unclear.
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By way of contrast, the Rays’ pitching staff is far better positioned entering Game 7. Diego Castillo, who struggled after replacing Snell Friday, should be available Saturday after throwing just 14 pitches. Meanwhile, Nick Anderson, Pete Fairbanks and Ryan Thompson will all be rested. Even Tyler Glasnow could be available after throwing 96 pitches Wednesday.
The Rays’ Game 7 starter will be Charlie Morton, who, like McCullers Jr., has plenty of big-game experience. In fact, McCullers Jr. started the Astros’ World Series clincher in 2017 and Morton closed it out.
Three years later, the Rays don’t need nearly as much length from Morton as the Astros do from his counterpart. The last time the Rays played a must-win game, in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Rays manager Kevin Cash asked the bullpen trio of Anderson, Fairbanks and Castillo for 20 of 27 total outs. This time, a similar approach could work. So long as Morton gives the Rays two or three effective innings, their bullpen can conceivably do the rest.
“All in all, I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” Morton told reporters. “But there’s no denying this is a frustrating spot to be in.”
Compared to where the Rays were three days ago, this is a precarious spot, to be sure. Compared to the Astros, it’s still a pretty good one.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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