MLB Playoff Roundup: October 10th

The postseason continues to advance, and MLB has plenty of interesting series developing. With the Yankees out of the running, we’ll keep you up-to-date on who is making a push for the commissioner’s trophy with daily rundowns of the latest action. Today we’re reviewing what went down in the ALDS, and the return of the four-series action set up for tonight.

What happened last night?

ALDS Game 3

Boston Red Sox 6, Tampa Bay Rays 4

(BOS leads series, 2-1)

Look what happens when you get rid of the automatic runner rule: you get an instant thriller. The Rays had to rally to force extra innings, but they managed to do so with a two-run eighth inning led by a Wander Franco solo shot and a Randy Arozarena double. Tampa sure seems to have some guys who love hitting in the postseason.

The controversial part of this game came in the top of the 13th, when Kevin Kiermaier laced a ball to right-center with Yandy Diaz on first. The ball would have stayed in the park if left alone, and Diaz would have certainly scored on the play, but it bounced off of the wall and then off of Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe, which caused it to then bounce out of play. That technically made it a ground-rule double because the contact wasn’t intentional, and Diaz had to stop at third — where he got stranded. The Sox made it a moot point by getting a two-run walk-off homer via Christian Vazquez in the bottom half of the inning, completing the gut punch for the Rays.

ALDS Game 3

Chicago White Sox 12, Houston Astros 6

(HOU leads series, 2-1)

Compared to the earlier game, this one had lots of chaos early and then a relatively simple ending. The White Sox scored first in the home half of the first inning, but then Houston went up 5-1 midway through the third inning. At that point, most spectators probably assumed that we were heading for an Astros sweep, but Chicago answered back in the bottom frame. A pair of homers from Yasmani Grandal and Leury Garcia gave the White Sox a brief lead, things got tied in the top of the fourth, and then the Sox pulled ahead for good in the bottom of the fourth.

Chicago’s bullpen redeemed itself after a disastrous performance in Game 2, stabilizing a rocky pitching staff by getting six shutout innings from Ryan Tepera, Aaron Bummer, Craig Kimbrel, and Liam Hendriks. They’ve only staved off elimination once, and will have to do so two more times in order to advance, but they didn’t lay down and surrender — which makes for a more compelling series.

What’s on deck?

NLDS Game 3

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves
(Freddy Peralta vs. Ian Anderson)

Time: 1:07 p.m. EST

TV: TBS

Venue: Truist Park

The Braves may have stolen away home-field advantage, but the Brewers have the pitching advantage for this matchup. Peralta has been one of the best middle-of-the-order starters in baseball, pitching to a 2.81 ERA with 195 strikeouts, while Anderson has been pretty solid in his first full season. The Brewers’ pitching depth makes them a scary opponent in any series, so Atlanta is going to have to wear Peralta out if they want to go up 2-1.

ALDS Game 4

Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox
(Jose Urquidy vs. Carlos Rodon)

Time: 3:37 p.m. EST [update: rained out]

TV: FS1

Venue: Guaranteed Rate Field

Rodon was one of the biggest question marks heading into this series — no-one was sure how the White Sox would deploy one of their best arms after he ran into some injury concerns late in the year. Now that their backs are against the wall, Rodon will get the start looking to push this series back to Houston for a winner-take-all game, and he’ll need to give the White Sox some mileage after the bullpen salvaged Game 3. Urquidy hasn’t gone deep into many ballgames, so look for Chicago to try and get to him early before he can hand the ball off to Houston’s ‘pen.

12:30pm update: This game has been rained out and will be made up tomorrow.

ALDS Game 4

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
(Collin McHugh vs. Eduardo Rodríguez)

Time: 7:07 p.m. EST

TV: FS1

Venue: Fenway Park

How fast the tide can turn. The Rays are on the back foot with their season on the line after looking like they were going to cruise to an ALCS appearance, and their pitching plans are in flux. They only just announced McHugh as the starter this morning, and he’s more of an opener. Rodríguez will get at least one more start in a Red Sox uniform, and he can redeem his Game 1 performance by punching Boston’s ticket to the ALCS with a strong outing here.

NLDS Game 3

San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
(Alex Wood vs. Max Scherzer)

Time: 9:37 p.m. EST

TV: TBS

Venue: Dodger Stadium

It’s hard to find a better pitcher to turn to in a tied series than Max Scherzer. The Dodger ace-among-aces wasn’t his typically sharp self in the Wild Card Game, but he’s back on short rest to try and give Los Angeles the edge in this matchup. Alex Wood is looking for some revenge against his former team, and nothing would be more vindicating than outdueling the three-time Cy Young Award winner.