Playoff Miscellany: DBacks Triple Up, ALDS Get Underway

With the playoffs now very much in full swing, I thought it time to get back into these morning round-ups …

  • The Diamondbacks and Rockies played a surprising thriller in the NL Wild Card Game last night. I say “surprising” not because you wouldn’t otherwise expect a good game between the teams, but instead because the Diamondbacks immediately jumped out to a 6-0 lead through three innings, and it looked like it would be a snoozer. Instead, the Rockies came roaring back with four in the fourth, and then twice trimming the lead to a single run in the final three innings, only to see the Diamondbacks immediately respond to pull back away.
  • The biggest blow had to be the two-run triple by Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley (yup, you read that correctly) after the debatable decision about allowing him to hit for himself so that he could carry on pitching into the next inning (an inning in which he went on to give up two homers). The Rockies’ outfielders looked absolutely demoralized as they tracked down his ball:
  • Incidentally, per the broadcast, that was the first triple by a reliever in postseason history, and was one of four Diamondbacks triples in the game, also a record.
  • The Diamondbacks totaled 17 hits in the game, and knocked out young righty Jon Gray before the second inning was over. Between him and Luis Severino, it’s apparently a bad postseason to be a young stud fireballing starter. And the Cubs’ slow-played strategy reveals itself!
  • Since both of these guys pitched in the game, it’s an excuse to share a story that has stuck with me ever since I first read it:
  • The Diamondbacks will now play the Dodgers in the NLDS, while the Cubs play the Nationals.
  • Meanwhile, the two ALDS series kick off today, with the Astros hosting the Red Sox at 3:08 CT on MLBN (Chris Sale and Justin Verlander), and the Indians hosting the Yankees at 6:30 CT on FS1 (Sonny Gray and Trevor Bauer).
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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