Major League Baseball: 2018 Season

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Fenway Park opened in 1912, so this ballpark has seen all kinds of action. That even includes this exciting series between two first-place AL division teams. Some people look at this Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox as a possible playoffs preview. If that is the case, then here is how this "preview" went...

GM1 HOU at BOS: (6-3; Houston)
GM2 HOU at BOS: (5-3; Houston)
GM3 HOU at BOS: (6-5; Boston)

José Altuve looked to touch home plate in Game 3, but Altuve was called out, and the Astros lost their challenge. Boston went on to win Game 3 in walk-off style. So the team that Never Settles had to settle for a 2 out of 3 series win. The Houston Astros are now 89-54. We hold a 2.5 game lead over the Oakland Athletics in the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros... our road trip concludes with three games in MoTown. That's right- H-Town meets MoTown at lovely Comerica Park for a three-game set. 89-54 Houston Astros. 59-84 Detroit Tigers. The action begins Monday.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as those who also won on Sunday.
 
Kind of a heads-up... Justin Verlander is on the mound tonight in Detroit taking on the Tigers. This is his start in Detroit as a pitcher for a team other than the Tigers. His last start as a Tiger was in August 20, 2017. The Detroit faithful gave a nice tribute to Verlander. Though, I'm pretty sure the fans in MoTown wished he'd deliver a World Series triumph for the Tigers rather than with some other team.

I'll do my usual series summary when HOU at DET when the series concludes on Wednesday. And like I say- I'm a Houston Astros fan, but I also like the Detroit Tigers. So a fine gesture by Detroit to show some love for Justin Verlander.
 
We have our first "in!" team to this season's playoffs. But first, let me talk about how the Astros did at the Detroit Tigers...

GM1 HOU at DET: (3-2; Houston)
GM2 HOU at DET: (5-4; Houston)
GM3 HOU at DET: (5-4; Houston)

This road trip for Houston concludes with a sweep of the Detroit Tigers. I forgot to mention (because I didn't realize it) is that if the Astros swept the Red Sox, we would have won 90 games on the season. Win No. 90 didn't happen with the Sunday Night game at Boston. Despite this, we still surpassed the 90-win mark with our sweep of the Tigers. So our record on this road trip is 5-1, and our overall record is now 92-54. We currently hold a 3.5 game lead over 2nd Place 88-57 Oakland.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we play our final home stand of the season after taking this coming Thursday off. It is a home stand including Interleague play with Arizona (3 games), back to the AL West with Seattle (3 games), and more AL West action hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (3 games). First, though- it's Arizona coming to H-Town for a three-game weekend set.


Elsewhere...

...I mentioned we have our first "in!" team. So this is the first of the "Who's In!" discussion:

--- Who's In! - 2018 Playoffs ---
Boston (clinched playoff spot)
...AL East Champion...
...AL Central Champion...
...AL West Champion...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...
...NL East Champion...
...NL Central Champion...
...NL West Champion...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

That's probably a no-brainer considering Boston going absolutely baller with all of those wins. One slot filled in, nine more to be determined.


Congratulations to all winners of recent series as well as Wednesday's winners.


[UPDATE] No Division championship was clinched. Just a playoff berth for BOS.
 
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Diamondbacks are finished. Terrible coaching decisions and just no drive left.

With that said, will be interesting to see how far Colorado gets.
 
Both the Cubs and Brewers have had solid seasons. The NL Central may just come down to the final week or even the final game. I just noticed both CHC and MIL have 84 wins as of the time of this post. Atlanta has 82 wins and lead the NL East, and Colorado has 81 wins leading the NL West. In the NL Central, though, St. Louis might creep up and make their own bid for the postseason. They got 81 wins, but the Cardinals could make their stand should the Cubbies and Brew Crew rough themselves up just enough.

Well, I'll tell you what. At least the NL is more competitive postseason wise than with us AL teams. You know... Boston running away with the AL West, Cleveland running away with the AL Central and is the ONLY team in the division with a winning record, and the AL West is relatively competitive with my Houston Astros leading.


We'll see who all will be playing for the Commissioner's Trophy come October. I may make another post to talk about some of the goings on from Thursday. You otherwise enjoy your Thursday night of baseball as well as the upcoming weekend series.
 
David Wright has pretty much announced his retirement at the end of this year. His spinal stenosis is getting too much for him to play baseball again. He will be activated for the series vs. the Braves on September 25th and will start at third base on September 29th vs. the Marlins. I believe that game is now nearly sold out.
 
Blitz24
David Wright has pretty much announced his retirement at the end of this year. His spinal stenosis is getting too much for him to play baseball again. He will be activated for the series vs. the Braves on September 25th and will start at third base on September 29th vs. the Marlins. I believe that game is now nearly sold out.
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I saw chat on reddit that the StubHub prices went through the roof right after the announcement
 
The inevitable happened- Cleveland is IN! The Cleveland Indians are in the postseason as they clinched the AL Central today. They only team in their division with a winning record truly ran away with the AL Central. So here's the updated Postseason list:

--- Who's In! - 2018 Playoffs ---
Boston (clinched playoff spot)
...AL East Champion...
Cleveland (AL Central Champion)
...AL West Champion...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...
...NL East Champion...
...NL Central Champion...
...NL West Champion...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

I'll report on how the Arizona at Houston series ended up when they are done playing that series tomorrow afternoon.
 
The Houston Astros' final home stand of the regular season starts with an Interleague series with R1600Turbo's Arizona Diamondbacks. Let's see what happens when the Astros play with some Snakes...

GM1 ARI at HOU: (4-2; Arizona)
GM2 ARI at HOU: (10-4; Houston)
GM3 ARI at HOU: (5-4; Houston)

We should have won 5-1 heading into the 9th inning of Game 3, but the D-Backs tried to keep the game close by hanging three runs on the Astros. It wasn't enough in the end. The Astros took this series 2 to 3. On top of that, the Tampa Bay Rays managed to keep the Oakland Athletics down despite a ninth-inning Grand Slam by the A's. So our lead in the AL West is still fairly good. 4.5 lead in the AL West, I believe. We are either 93-55 or 94-55 now on the season.

Up next for Houston... it's one last series with two tricky division foes- the Seattle Mariners. This three-game set begins Monday night. The Astros need to make sure not to lose either this upcoming series with the Mariners or the next series against the Angels. The Astros can only take care of their own business while hoping Oakland stumbles enough so the Astros can be AL West champs in back-to-back seasons.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as Sunday's winners.
 
The Reds concluded their final series against the Cubbies that featured strong pitching on both sides. Each game was decided by a single run.

Game 1: 3-2 loss
Game 2: 1-0 loss
Game 3: 2-1 win

Frustrating to give up only 5 runs in a series, yet lose 2 of the games. I heard on the radio the Reds are 10-26 in 1 run games. Amazing...
 
Let's see what happened as the Houston Astros met the Seattle Mariners for the final time this regular season...

GM1 SEA at HOU: (4-2; Seattle)
GM2 SEA at HOU: (7-0; Houston)
GM3 SEA at HOU: (9-0; Seattle)

Seattle basically needed this series to stay competitive in the AL West and in the AL Wild Card race. I couldn't watch the pathetic Game 3 performance too much longer. Seattle helped their cause while the Astros failed to put away the boys from the Pacific Northwest. Granted Seattle is not currently in position to make the AL Wild Card interesting, you still hate losing to a division opponent as well as one with remote hopes of a Wild Card berth. So after a (to quote Bart Simpson) "craptacular" performance, we are now 95-57 on the season We are still ahead of Oakland 90-61. To much more stubbing of the toes for Houston will mean we could be a Wild Card team instead of potentially winning the AL West for the second successive season.

Up next for the Houston Astros... it's the final home series for the Astros as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim come on down to H-Town. Seattle was 83-68 heading into tonight; the Angels are 75-76 heading into tonight. The Astros can't afford to squander two successive series against two division foes. This three game set starts this Friday.


Elsewhere...

...Nothing has changed in the notion of teams currently into this season's playoffs. Boston and Cleveland already clinched playoff spots. More to come as the regular season winds down.


Congratulations to all series winners as well as others who won this Wednesday.
 
By virtue of their win tonight, the Houston Astros have clinched a Playoff berth. So they are IN! We handled the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 11-3 that started with a Y. Gurriel Grand Slam in the Bottom of the 1st. Astros never looked back. We didn't win the Division, but we are a playoff team. So here's the updated list of "in!" teams:


AMERICAN LEAGUE - 2018 Playoff Teams
Boston (won AL East), Cleveland (won AL Central), Houston (clinched berth)

NATIONAL LEAGUE - 2018 Playoff Teams
(none; but Atlanta is closing in on NL East champion)


I meant to mention earlier of Boston winning the AL East earlier this week. Boston now in a series at the Cleveland Indians. BOS has 105 wins on the season after winning 7-5 on Friday.


I'll let you know how the LAA at HOU series ends in a future post.
 
A new member of the Playoffs list for 2018 has been locked: the Atlanta Braves won the NL East. So the first NL representative has been accounted for. Updated:

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE: 2018 POSTSEASON ---
* Boston (AL East Champions)
* Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
* Houston (clinched berth, lead AL West)
...AL WEST CHAMPIONS...
* New York Yankees (AL Wild Card 1)
...AL WILD CARD 2...

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE: 2018 POSTSEASON ---
* Atlanta (NL East Champions)
...NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS...
...NL WEST CHAMPIONS...
...NL WILD CARD 1...
...NL WILD CARD 2...

More slots to be filled as the season winds down.

[UPDATE] Add the New York Yankees to this mix. They clinched a Wild Card berth. Updates made.
 
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The Houston Astros played their final home series of the season. We hosted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a three-game weekend series. Here is how this series ended...

GM1 LAA at HOU: (11-3; Houston)
GM2 LAA at HOU: (10-5; Houston)
GM3 LAA at HOU: (6-2; Houston)

I want you to take note of Game 2. We were up 1-0 for a good amount of the game until the Angels hung five on the Astros in the Top of the 8th. We responded in the Bottom of the 8th by hanging nine on the Halos. It was capped off with a sweet two-run jack by the fascinating José Altuve. If this game proven anything, it shows the mettle and character of the Astros to find ways to win, even if they win on great luck rather than outright skill. We are 98-57 on the season. Houston leads Oakland by 4.5 in the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... our final two series are on the road and in two different countries. We are going to Canada to meet Canada's only remaining Major League Baseball team- the Toronto Blue Jays for three, and then we finish the season with a four-game series at the Baltimore Orioles. But first- it's a JohnBM01 vs. Barra333 inner-forum rivalry series with my Astros at the Blue Jays.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as those who won on Sunday.
 
I had my Yankees got in. The injury bug was pretty scary. The playoffs will be interesting. Too bad Didi is out with torn cartilage in his wrist.
 
Another team is IN! Who? Find out:

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE: 2018 POSTSEASON ---
* Boston (AL East Champions)
* Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
* Houston (clinched berth, lead AL West)
* Oakland (clinched berth)
...AL WEST CHAMPIONS...
* New York Yankees (AL Wild Card 1)
...AL WILD CARD 2...

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE: 2018 POSTSEASON ---
* Atlanta (NL East Champions)
...NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS...
...NL WEST CHAMPIONS...
...NL WILD CARD 1...
...NL WILD CARD 2...

Oakland's in. I'll let you know how the HOU at TOR series ends up after the Wednesday day game.
 
Here are changes to the 2018 MLB Playoffs standings:

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE: 2018 POSTSEASON ---
* Boston (AL East Champions)
* Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
* Houston (AL West Champions)
* New York Yankees (AL Wild Card 1)
* Oakland (AL Wild Card 2)

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE: 2018 POSTSEASON ---
* Atlanta (NL East Champions)
...NL CENTRAL CHAMPIONS...
...NL WEST CHAMPIONS...
...NL WILD CARD 1...
...NL WILD CARD 2...

The Houston Astros clinched the AL West last night. They needed to win at Toronto and have Oakland lose to clinch the AL West. This is not only the second-successive AL West title for the Houston Astros, but it is also the first time ever that the Astros have recorded back-to-back 100+ win seasons. It is the third-ever time in franchise history that Astros have hit 100 wins. The other two times were in 1998 and 2017. The AL side of the Playoffs is set. So we are still determining more slots on the NL side.

By the way on Tuesday, Houston won at Toronto 4-1, and Oakland was defeated at Seattle 10-8 last night.
 
America's team- the Houston Astros. Canada's team- the Toronto Blue Jays. Penultimate seres for Houston. Here's how the action wrapped up...

GM1 HOU at TOR: (5-3; Houston)
GM2 HOU at TOR: (4-1; Houston)
GM3 HOU at TOR: (3-1; Toronto)

Game 3 seemed more like Houston wanted to celebrate their AL West triumph rather than sweep the Blue Jays. Sure the Astros had nothing to lose, but we didn't get the sweep. The Astros do need to keep their key players healthy and ready for the postseason. The 2018 Houston Astros are now 100-58 on the season. Well, I offer a handshake to Barra333. Nice of my 'Stros playing your Blue Jays.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... our final series of the regular season is a four-game set at the Baltimore Orioles.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and other winners from Wednesday.
 
Going to have argue that the Astros are America's team,
 
JohnBM01
Well, I offer a handshake to Barra333. Nice of my 'Stros playing your Blue Jays.
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At least your guys let the Blue Jays give Gibby a win in his last home game as manager, and guarantee a career winning record as manager. It is impressive that a guy who managed a team for almost 1600 games at a win % of 0.502 is so well liked.
 
This is the final weekend of regular season baseball. The American League is all wrapped up. All that remains are all of the other National League teams to make it into the postseason or maybe even sweeten the playoff offer. So enjoy the final regular season series until everyone plays for the Commissioner's Trophy starting around October 3.


Congratulations to all who will make this season's postseason once this weekend's games are complete.
 
I'm just glad that Detroit has spent the last few weeks of the season playing the young players. We were not going anywhere so the smart option was to see how the prospects were doing.
 
The following managers are done with their respective teams:
Mike Scoscia (Angels)
John Gibbons (Blue Jays)

The following players are done with their careers:
Jose Reyes
David Wright
Chase Utley

POSSIBLY done with their careers:
Joe Mauer
C.C. Sabathia
 
One last series with the Houston Astros. One of the most baller teams against... one of the not-so-beller teams. Beautiful Baltimore has suffered an ugly season with their Major League Baseball team. Four game-set to end the season. Here's how this one ended...

GM1 HOU at BAL: (2-1; Houston)
GM2 HOU at BAL: (4-1; Houston)
GM3 HOU at BAL: (5-2; Houston)
GM4 HOU at BAL: (4-0; Baltimore)

Games 2 and 3 were a doubleheader after the game on Thursday was rained out and postponed. The Houston Astros set an all-time franchise high with 10x wins on the regular season. So they bested the 1998 Astros and the 2017 Astros in most wins for a season. It used to be that the Houston Astros couldn't win. Now, they [seemingly] can't lose. See, folks? You NEVER give up on your favorite team(s) no matter how much crap they go through! Even long suffering teams can hopefully become contenders and even champions if the cards are played right.

So we end the 2018 regular season with a 103-59 record. It is the most wins in the regular season in Astros' history. Third ever time hitting triple-digit wins.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... ALDS action! We host the Cleveland Indians stating on Friday. Houston Astros will try to defend their World Series championship as best as they can.


In a later post, I'll update the Playoff teams notes. Or maybe you all can set the stage. Congratulations to all recent series winners and other Sunday winners. Same honors to those who made the Playoffs. Better luck next season to all who missed out on the postseason.
 
The Reds finished their season in a fittingly Reds' way; a 1 run loss in extras, with the Pirates run being scored on a wild pitch. Seems right.

Yesterday's victory for Cincy was their only one in the final 8 games of the season. That also makes it 4 straight 90+ loss seasons for the club. This "rebuilding" doesn't really seem so much as rebuilding, but more so straight up sucking. :grumpy:
 
Tiebreakers are on tap, but here is how everyone is as the regular season has come to an end:

(LEGEND: Bold teams are current playoff teams)

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE ---
AL EAST: Boston (108-54), NYY (100-62), TB (90-72), TOR (73-89), BAL (47-115)
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland (91-71), MIN (78-84), DET (64-98), CHW (62-100), KC (58-104)
AL WEST: Houston (103-59), OAK (97-65), SEA (89-73), LAA (80-82), TEX (67-95)

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE ---
NL EAST: Atlanta (90-72), WAS (82-80), PHI (80-82), NYM (77-85), MIA (63-98)
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee (96-67), CHC (95-68), STL (88-74), PIT (82-79), CIN (67-95)
NL WEST: Colorado (91-71) and Los Angeles Dodgers (91-71 each), ARI (82-80), SF (73-89), SD (66-96)

So this is how the 2018 regular season ends. If you see your favorite team(s) in BOLD, congratulations! Your team made the postseason!


Good news- your team made the postseason. Bad news- your postseason run may last only one day. Once the NL Tiebreaker and the Wild Card games play out, some teams are going to be ousted quickly.


That's all from me. Enjoy the postseason!
 
Well the Colorado / LA game is going just about how I figured it would. I hate the Dodgers but wish I would have put money on the game. There was no way CO was going to win in LA with a high priority game like this.
 
Tonight is the AL Wild Card game. It's the Oakland Athletics at the New York Yankees. Only ONE game. So bring your best game or enjoy the offseason- like the Chicago Cubs. The winner of OAK at NYY will get the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.

By the way, the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs and will get the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.


[UPDATE] NLDS, not NLCS. I must be getting old with these errors (I'm 35). Changes made.
 
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