Major League Baseball: 2020 Season

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An AL West battle ensued here in Houston as the Astros hosted the Seattle Mariners for a three-game weekend set. Here's how we did...

GM1 SEA at HOU: (11-1; Houston)
GM2 SEA at HOU: (2-1; Houston)
GM3 SEA at HOU: (3-2; Houston)

The Houston Astros swept the Seattle Mariners. Game 1's blowout was made possible thanks to hanging nine runs on the Mariners. A feel-good story in Game 1 was the return of Yordan Alvarez. Y. Alvarez tested positive for COVID-19, but when he returned to the lineup... let's just say it was Yordan being Yordan. He belted a three-run jack in the 1st inning as part of that 9-run inning in Game 1. Not much offense since with Games 2 and 3, but all that mattered to H-Town was that their MLB team won.

The 2020 Houston Astros are now 11-10 on the season. Even though we have more wins, the Astros are 3rd in the AL West behind Oakland and Texas. Next for the Astros is a two-game Interleague set against the Colorado Rockies starting Monday, followed by a two-game set at the Rockies starting Wednesday. Then that road trip winds its way into another Interleague series at the San Diego Padres.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and all who won today/tonight.
 
The Phillies swept their weekend series with the Mets. This is the first time they've swept the division rival Mets since 2015.
 
Before the Houston Astros embark on another road trip, we welcomed the Colorado Rockies for a brief two-game set. It was the Colorado Rockies in which Craig Biggio collected his 3000th hit against here in Houston. How did Houston do? Series summary:

GM1 COL at HOU: (2-1; Houston)
GM2 COL at HOU: (2-1, 11 innings; Houston)

Game 2 was 0-0 after nine innings. So while nine innings wasn't enough in Game 2, we still managed to win even as Colorado scored the first run of that game. Up next for Houston is a two-game set at the Colorado Rockies starting tomorrow.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as those who won on Tuesday.
 
Not much to report on with the Reds. They haven't played a game since Friday. They were supposed to play a 4 game set against the Pirates. They had the first two games on Thursday and Friday. Then a Reds player tested positive for Covid. The weekend games were then postponed (may possibly be cancelled completely, who knows at this point). No other Reds nor any Pirates have tested positive since. Their scheduled game against the Royals today was postponed as well. The series will start up tomorrow with a doubleheader, assuming no positive tests.

I'm curious as to why they are being so cautious when only one person is infected? I understand when several members test positive. But just one?
 
Well, I guess it's a precautionary measure. Like, if one person has the virus, that you have to prevent the possibility of that one person spreading it to others. It still is tough to try to control something like this regardless. Teams just have to handle this situation as best as you can.
 
We had two games in Houston with the Colorado Rockies. Now, two games at THEIR house. Here's how the Astros did in Denver...

GM1 HOU at COL: (11-6; Houston)
GM2 HOU at COL: (10-8; Houston)

We won this two-game set and improve to a 8-game winning streak, but it's bittersweet. Yordan Alvarez will need season-ending knee surgery. Alex Bregman got banged up a bit as well after Game 1 of this series. So over the weekend, we're at lovely PetCo Park for a three-game set against the hot San Diego Padres. More Interleague action coming up for Houston. We are now 15-10 on the 2020 season, 2nd in the AL West behind Oakland.


Elsewhere...

There IS Cincinnati Reds news... just not good news. Making the rounds was Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman being suspended for using a homophobic slur over the airwaves. He has since apologized multiple times.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as those who won games today/tonight.
 
You know something I haven't done in some time? Standings updates! Most of this was because of how sports were all halted thanks to the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. Here is how each of the teams are currently doing heading into today's games:

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE: as of Aug. 21, 2020 ---
AL EAST: Tampa Bay (17-9), NYY (16-9), TOR (12-11), BAL (12-13), BOS (8-18)
AL CENTRAL: Minnesota (17-9), CLE (16-9), CHW (15-11), KC (10-15), DET (9-14)
AL WEST: Oakland (18-8), HOU (15-10), TEX (10-14), LAA (8-18), SEA (8-19)

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE: as of Aug. 21, 2020 ---
NL EAST: Atlanta (14-11), MIA (9-9), NYM (12-14), WAS and PHI (9-12 each)
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs (16-8), STL (7-7), MIL (11-12), CIN (10-13), PIT (4-17)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers (19-8), SD (15-12), COL (13-12), ARI (13-13), SF (11-16)

The San Diego Padres made history by hitting a Grand Slam in four straight games. I recall once where my Astros were tied through eight innings at 3-3, until the Padres hit a Grand Slam that put them up for good and eventually won 7-3. Surely the Astros don't want to take the Padres lightly in this upcoming series.

Seeing these standings, it's surprising to see the Pirates with the worst record in baseball. With more losses, it's a bit hard to believe the Seattle Mariners have the worst AL record. Boston has somehow been in a funk as well.


Enjoy this weekend's games!
 
The San Diego Padres have been hot as of late. Can the Houston Astros cool them off a bit? Here's how the weekend series went in San Diego:

GM1 HOU at SD: (5-4; San Diego)
GM2 HOU at SD: (11-2; San Diego)
GM3 HOU at SD: (5-3; San Diego)

In other words... 🤬 no the Astros couldn't slow down the Padres. In fact, the Padres defeated BOTH Texas teams in succession, including a four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers prior to us facing them. First of all, don't get me started about Game 2. While the Padres thankfully didn't make it five straight games with a Grand Slam, we still got Grand Slam'd in Game 2. We managed to lead in the 3rd game until the Padres hit a two-run homer as the go-ahead score. Our next two series is at home against AL West opponents. We host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting Monday (4-game series) followed by a weekend series against the Oakland Athletics (starting Friday).

So the 2020 Houston Astros are now 15-13 on the season, still holding 2nd in the AL West over leading Oakland.

As an off-topic note, I was reminded of how bad the Astros were when I checked one of my Facebook Memories. I noted the Astros on August 23 was 35-98 back in 2012 or so. That would be one of three straight years where we had 100+ losses. Then having a total of 55 wins, 53 wins, and then 51 wins. Glad times have changed since- cheating scandal notwithstanding.


Congratulations to all other winners of recent series and those who won today- including the Detroit Tigers downing the Cleveland Indians 7-4 in Cleveland. Feel free to let us know how your favorite team(s) is/are doing of late.
 
Another series for the Houston Astros Baseball Club was completed. So here's how we did hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...

GM1 LAA at HOU: (11-4; Houston)
GM2 LAA at HOU: (6-3; Houston) <<< doubleheader
GM3 LAA at HOU: (12-5; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) <<< doubleheader

This series began with domination by the Astros, coasting to an 11-4 victory. Because of advancing Hurricane Laura, the second and third games of this series were moved up to a doubleheader. We won the first game of the 7-inning doubleheader, but we failed to sweep the Angels. So the Halos got a modicum of revenge against the Astros to prevent getting swept. At least for now, we are wondering about how and if we will be able to have the Oakland Athletics series over the weekend here in Houston. We will know here in Houston how things will go between now and at least Thursday.

The 2020 Houston Astros still are 2nd in the AL West and now with a 16-13 record. We're four games back of the currently 21-10 Oakland Athletics for the AL West lead. So this upcoming series is understandably important to claw into OAK's lead. A sweep over the A's would be the best thing the Astros can hope for.


Elsewhere...

Congratulations to Lucas Giolito for knocking down 2020's first No-Hitter of the season. The White Sox won today 4-0 over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the South Side of Chicago. The White Sox are currently 18-12 and 2nd in the AL Central, trailing the 20-11 Minnesota Twins by 1.5 games for the AL Central lead.


Congratulations to all other winners from Tuesday and recent series winners.
 
The 2020 Houston Astros have recently failed for four straight games at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A five-game series at the Oakland Athletics await Houston starting today. My Houston Astros are failing hard of late as futility and some injuries are affecting the Astros. Fearing fans may heckle the Astros this season, it's the baseball gods that aren't giving the Astros much hope at present. Hopefully your team(s) is/are faring much better than us right now...
 
My Houston Astros are off today, so I figured I'd make this post to assess the Astros so far.

We all know the 2020 season was going to be a most unusual one. The Houston Astros, though, have tried to make the most of their 2020 season. They have been the dart board for many a baseball fan considering the sign-stealing scandal of their 2017 World Series triumph. The Astros would probably likely have been heckled on by fans in the stands had this COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic didn't take form. Or maybe fate is letting the baseball gods dump on the Astros instead of from baseball fans. The Astros still have a plenty good squad to win games. Sadly and of late, the Astros have been in a slump in this condensed season. They can't seem to figure out how to beat the Oakland Athletics, nor could they muster the luck to try to top the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Things won't get much better this weekend as the Astros will be at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Surely the Dodgers want to shut up and shut down the Astros with this series. The 2020 Houston Astros sit at 22-23, good for 2nd in the AL West. Further futility will make the Astros contend for an AL Wild Card berth. Houston is okay at the moment playoff-wise as the top two teams in each division make the postseason this season. Even still, they need to keep winning games to give themselves a chance as the 2020 regular season nears its sunset.


So there is another assessment of mine. If you want to assess your favorite team(s) at this point of the season, go ahead. Or otherwise, enjoy this weekend's series!
 
Despite the money spent on the offense during the off season, the Reds can't score. Bullpen has disappointing for the most part too. Iglesias seems to enjoy blowing saves, even against the likes of the horrendous Pirates. They were able to get by the Cards tonight thanks to Luis Castillo pitching his first career complete game, giving up only 1 run on 2 hits and 112 pitches. The final ended up 3-1.

Overall, 5 games under .500 won't get us to the postseason, even with the expanded number of teams...:rolleyes:
 
I haven't been updating my Houston Astros' progress lately. I'm still following as much action as I can. We got through splitting a series between the Astros at Dodgers this past weekend (won Saturday in come-from-behind fashion, lost Sunday big). Maybe I'll update on how the Astros did with their latest series hosting the Texas Rangers.
 
The Reds have clawed back to only 2 under .500 after 4 straight wins. After taking 2 of 3 against the Redbirds, sweeping the doubleheader against the Pirates yesterday and another win today, they look for the overall 4 game sweep of the Buccos tomorrow. And somehow they're only one spot away from the second wildcard.
 
In this truncated, modified season; we still have some playoff notes to pass along. Before I discuss how the Rangers at Astros series ended up, let me make my first post regarding teams that are "in!"...

--- Who's In! - 2020 Playoffs ---
...AL East Seed 1...
...AL East Seed 2...
...AL Central Seed 1...
...AL Central Seed 2...
...AL West Seed 1...
...AL West Seed 2...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...

...NL East Seed 1...
...NL East Seed 2...
...NL Central Seed 1...
...NL Central Seed 2...
Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched berth)
...NL West Seed 2...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

I actually learned on Instagram (or "The 'Gram" as cool kids call it) that the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a postseason berth. I meant to post this yesterday or so. Still congratulations to the Dodgers on making the postseason.


My next post will be a series summary of the Rangers at Astros series.
 
Reds completed the sweep of the Pirates last night, have won 5 straight, clawed back to only 1 game under .500, passed up the Cardinals and are now the #6 seed if the season ended today. Today was an off day for the team.
 
Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays have both clinched playoff spots following victories today. The White Sox won against the Twins and the Rays swept the Orioles in a double-header.
 
Okay. So let me offer a series summary of the Silver Boot Series...

GM1 TEX at HOU: (4-1; Houston)
GM2 TEX at HOU: (1-0; Texas)
GM3 TEX at HOU: (2-1; Houston)

The Houston Astros did good. I believe their Game 3 win put the Astros back above the .500 mark. So this was much needed.


I got to update the "In!" list again. Latest entry in italics as of the time of this post...

--- Who's In! - 2020 Playoffs ---
Tampa Bay (clinched playoff berth)
...AL East Seed 2...
Chicago White Sox (clinched playoff berth)
...AL Central Seed 2...
...AL West Seed 1...
...AL West Seed 2...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...

...NL East Seed 1...
...NL East Seed 2...
...NL Central Seed 1...
...NL Central Seed 2...
Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched berth)
...NL West Seed 2...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

More teams will be "In!" as this season winds down. Congrats so far to the Dodgers, and White Sox, and Rays.


And also congratulations to all other winners from Thursday as well as recent series winners!
 
The Reds tamed the White Sox tonight, claiming their 6th straight win and back to .500 for the first time since the start of the season. The Cardinals won their doubleheader against the Pirates and are tied on percentage points with the Reds. The Reds are seeded ahead of them at the moment at 26-26, while the Cardinals are still making up many games they missed due to Covid at 24-24.
 
The Phillies swept a doubleheader against the Blue Jays, first time they've swept a doubleheader since 2012.
 
The Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to play some baseball here in Houston. So here's how the series went...

GM1 ARI at HOU: (6-3; Arizona)
GM2 ARI at HOU: (3-2; Houston)
GM3 ARI at HOU: (3-2; Houston)

This was a rather sad weekend since Justin Verlander announced he needed to have Tommy John surgery. Still, we managed to down the Snakes in this weekend set. This would have been NL Central vs. NL West in older times, but it's NL West meets AL West. We still won.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we're going to the Seattle Mariners for a three-game set, followed by a four-game set at the Texas Rangers. It all begins on Monday. Another Astros Tour of Awesome coming up.


Elsewhere... it's time to update the postseason contenders' list. Latest entrant(s):

--- Who's In! - 2020 Playoffs ---
Tampa Bay (clinched berth)
New York Yankees (clinched playoff berth)
Chicago White Sox (clinched playoff berth)
Minnesota (clinched playoff berth)
Oakland (clinched playoff berth)
...AL West Seed 2...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...

...NL East Seed 1...
...NL East Seed 2...
...NL Central Seed 1...
...NL Central Seed 2...
Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched playoff berth)
San Diego (clinched playoff berth)
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

In case you're wondering, the current AL and NL Wild Card leaders are as follows:
* AL Wild Card: Cleveland and Toronto
* NL Wild Card: Philadelphia and Cincinnati


Congratulations to all recent series winners, those who won on Sunday, and all who made the playoffs so far!
 
Playoffs update...

--- Who's In! - 2020 Playoffs ---
Tampa Bay (clinched berth)
New York Yankees (clinched playoff berth)
Chicago White Sox (clinched playoff berth)
Minnesota (clinched playoff berth)
Oakland (AL West Champions)
...AL West Seed 2...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...

...NL East Seed 1...
...NL East Seed 2...
...NL Central Seed 1...
...NL Central Seed 2...
Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched playoff berth)
San Diego (clinched playoff berth)
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

In case you're wondering, the current AL and NL Wild Card leaders are as follows:
* AL Wild Card: Cleveland and Toronto
* NL Wild Card: Philadelphia and Cincinnati

At the moment, the Oakland Athletics are the only team to clinch their division at this point. There's still a good number of slots to be filled and playoff offers to be sweetened. So keep at it!
 
The Pacific Northwest's only MLB team was our opponent. Beautiful Seattle, Washington, USA... but did the Astros have a beautiful time there? Oakland won the AL West, so the Astros are playing for either 2nd in the AL West or Wild Card. Summary:

GM1 HOU at SEA: (6-1; Seattle)
GM2 HOU at SEA: (6-1; Houston)
GM3 HOU at SEA: (3-2; Seattle)

So Seattle takes two of three. Now begins a trip to the Texas Rangers for a four-game set starting tomorrow.


Elsewhere...

Here are the latest Playoff notes (changes in italics):

--- Who's In! - 2020 Playoffs ---
Tampa Bay (AL East Champions)
New York Yankees (clinched playoff berth)
Chicago White Sox (clinched playoff berth)
Minnesota (clinched playoff berth)
Oakland (AL West Champions)
...AL West Seed 2...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...

Atlanta (NL East Champions)
...NL East Seed 2...
Chicago Cubs (clinched playoff berth)
...NL Central Seed 2...
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West Champions)
San Diego (clinched playoff berth)
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...

In case you're wondering, the current AL and NL Wild Card leaders are as follows:
* AL Wild Card: Toronto and Cleveland
* NL Wild Card: Cincinnati and San Francisco



Congratulations to the other series winners and Wednesday winners!
 
The Reds took 2 of 3 against the Brew Crew and now sit 1 game over .500 in the first wildcard spot with 3 games left in the season. St. Louis is sitting at 1 over .500 as well, but seeded ahead of the Reds and 2nd overall in the NL Central.

Something of note; Bauer went 8 innings tonight, giving up 1 earned run, 1 walk, and 12 strikeouts. He finished out his regular season with a 1.73 ERA. I'd say he's a legitimate Cy Young candidate.
 
For sure, Trevor Bauer has looked pretty good this season and putting up some good numbers. Nobody laughing at the Cincinnati Reds right now. The Reds could be a sleeper if they get in this year's postseason.
 
JohnBM01
For sure, Trevor Bauer has looked pretty good this season and putting up some good numbers. Nobody laughing at the Cincinnati Reds right now. The Reds could be a sleeper if they get in this year's postseason.
Click to expand...
They finish the season off starting tomorrow with 3 games at Minnesota. Since they're only 1 game over .500, I'll hedge a bet they need to win probably 2 of those to make it in. Won't be easy against the AL Central Division leading 35-22 Twins. :ill:

The good news is that Cards and Brewers are battling it out over 5 (FIVE!) games over the next 4 days, so they'll be taking wins away from each other, helping the Reds' chances.

The NL Postseason Standings are tight!
5 STL (C-2) 27 26 .509
6 MIA (E-2) 28 28 .500
7 CIN (WC) 29 28 .509
8 SF (WC) 28 28 .500
-- PHI 28 29 .491
-- MIL 27 28 .491
 
Well I've never been happier to be wrong.

What needed to happen tonight for the Reds to clinch immediately:
1. Brewers lose: Check
2. Phillies lose: Check
3. Reds win: Check!

Yep, that means Cincy is back in the postseason for the first time since 2013. It'll probably be another loss in the first round, but I'll enjoy it while I can.
 
The Houston Astros Baseball Club also made the postseason. We failed in extra innings last night at the Texas Rangers, but we got a little help to get in. So here are all the new changes to this season's postseason heading into Saturday's games:

--- Who's In! - 2020 Playoffs ---
Tampa Bay (AL East Champions)
New York Yankees (clinched playoff berth)
Chicago White Sox (clinched playoff berth)
Minnesota (clinched playoff berth)
Oakland (AL West Champions)
Houston (clinched playoff berth)
Toronto (clinched playoff berth)
Cleveland (clinched playoff berth)

Atlanta (NL East Champions)
Miami (clinched playoff berth)
Chicago Cubs (clinched playoff berth)
...NL Central Seed 2...
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West Champions, clinch division and best record in league)
San Diego (clinched playoff berth)
Cincinnati (clinched playoff berth)
...NL Wild Card 2...

The current AL and NL Wild Card leaders are as follows:
* AL Wild Card: Toronto and Cleveland
* NL Wild Card: Cincinnati and San Francisco


Now at the time of this report, 2nd spot in the NL Central was not determined. St. Louis has the 2nd place NL Central ranking even as Cincinnati clinched a playoff berth. The Playoff action begins this coming Tuesday. Enjoy this weekend's action!
 
Today is the beginning of the 2020 Major League Baseball postseason! It is time to see who all will compete to try to be league champions in this most unusual of seasons. Congratulations if your team(s) made it this far! Here are the matches in the 1st Round:


--- American League Postseason, Rd. 1 ---
* #1 TB Rays vs. #8 TOR Blue Jays
* #2 OAK Athletics vs. #7 CHW White Sox
* #3 MIN Twins vs. #6 HOU Astros
* #4 CLE Indians vs. #5 NYY Yankees

--- National League Postseason, Rd. 1 ---
* #1 LAD Dodgers vs. #8 MIL Brewers <<< LAD = best overall record in league
* #2 ATL Braves vs. #7 CIN Reds
* #3 CHC Cubs vs. #6 MIA Marlins
* #4 SD Padres vs. #5 STL Cardinals

The first round is all best-of-3. And as they say, "you can't script October." Anything can happen with these games and moving forward into October. Enjoy the action!
 

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