NEWSLETTER
We are just a game away from having a winner in each LCS series, which is a little bit of a bummer in terms of how rapidly these might finish up. There have been some competitive individual games, but you’d like to see the series be a little more competitive, too …
Houston Astros 5, New York Yankees 0 – HOU Leads ALCS 3-0
The Yankees are toast. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But this series is over. Famously, only once has a team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the LCS, and it was the 2004 Red Sox over the Yankees.
Christian Javier was latest Astros starter to dominate, and Chas McCormick hit a Yankee Stadium special to give them the early lead. It came right after a dropped fly ball in the outfield:
That was enough. The Astros have yet to lose a game in the postseason. One more win and they’re into the World Series on the back of two straight series sweeps.
It’s Lance McCullers trying to make that happen for the Astros in Game Four, tonight at 6:07pm CT. Nester Cortes will try to save the Yankees’ season.
Full Game Three highlights:
Philadelphia Phillies 10, San Diego Padres 6 – PHI Leads NLCS 3-1
Another series that is now just a win away from being over.
In a game where NEITHER starting pitcher got out of the first inning, it was the Phillies who just kept pouring it on, and got a pretty decent set of bullpen performances to hold the Padres down. Kyle Schwarber homered, J.T. Realmuto homered, and Rhys Hoskins homered twice.
Unfortunately for the Padres, two of their many acquired starting pitchers over the years were a disaster in this one: Mike Clevinger started and was charged with three runs without even recording an out, and Sean Manaea gave up five runs across the 4th and 5th innings. Both guys are going to be free agents this offseason, and both will be significant reclamation projects. Wild, considering where they were when the Padres initially acquired them. I kinda hate that their aggressiveness is not going to be rewarded this time around.
Well, I guess I shouldn’t TOTALLY close the book. We know that teams come back from 3-1 slightly more often than 3-0, so it could happen for the Padres. They get Yu Darvish back on the mound for Game Five, so that’ll help. Then again, they have to face Zack Wheeler again. I’m guess those two make it out of the first inning.
That potentially-decisive Game Five is this afternoon at 1:37pm CT.
Full Game Four highlights:
