The LCS series are over, and MLB has to be over the freaking moon that the winners of the AL and NL pennants just happen to be major-market franchises with huge fanbases spread from coast to coast. Having the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series has to be a top five dream match-up for the league, and that’s probably not a bad thing for the sport in the long run. The Brewers made for a nice story (I’m speaking in a non-fan-specific sense), but the probably wouldn’t have been half the draw the Dodgers are.
For the Brewers, I tend to think the loss is probably going to do at least as much good for them heading into 2019 as bad. Yes, it’s a longer, grinding season for them, but that was the first deep postseason run for this particular group. To come this close to the World Series will no doubt serve as extra motivation to make another big run next year, and I expect the players to train hard on that front, and their front office to work aggressively this offseason to that end. I think about how the Royals got so close in 2014, then won it all in 2015. How the Cubs got so close in 2015, then won it all in 2016. Maybe the Dodgers will be that team this year. Then maybe the Brewers will be that team next year.
… especially because they won’t repeat winning the NL Central next season. Just sayin’.
The Dodgers took the lead in the 2nd inning on a Cody Bellinger homer, which was preceded by a Manny Machado bunt single. There was so much going on here:
First of all, according to Statcast, that was Machado’s fastest sprint speed and fasted home-to-first of the year. Second of all, that was a bunt on a 3-2(!) pitch. Third of all, should you really have to use your fastest sprint speed to beat out a two-strike bunt hit if you’re a right-handed slugger? Shouldn’t you be able to strut to first base, given the positioning? And fourth of all … the junk grab. Hey, maybe he just needed to readjust after all that sprinting. We’ve all been there, right?
Things perhaps could have gone very differently if Chris Taylor doesn’t make an incredible catch in the 5th inning on a Christian Yelich drive that, at a minimum, would have tied the game:
The Reds have their new manager, and he’s long been a popular target on the managerial interview circuit:
David Bell has been named the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He will be introduced at a press conference on Monday at 11:00 a.m. pic.twitter.com/BdIlLCGKMG
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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