MLB PLAYOFF UPDATES: WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT?

 MLB PLAYOFF UPDATES: WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT?

    The MLB playoffs are through the first round, and it has certainly been living up to the standards. The Blue Jays, Rays, Cardinals, and Mets all fell short, with the Mariners, Guardians, Phillies and Padres moving on. Interestingly enough, only the Mets-Padres series went the full three games, and that third game was filled with drama and excitement. Now let's take a look at the Division Series to see how they stack up.

    ALDS (Astros 1, Mariners 0) - The Astros pulled off an impressive comeback victory against the Mariners to open the series at home, capped by a walk-off three-run-shot by Yordan Alvarez. The Mariners tagged projected Cy Young winner Justin Verlander for six runs in four innings, but the bullpen for the Astros picked up the slack, only allowing one run in five innings. The Mariners' bullpen was a shell of its regular-season dominant self, allowing five runs in four innings, including the three in the ninth. Looking forward, the Astros have the momentum in all aspects of the game. Should they win this evening, a 2-0 series lead heading into a two-game home stretch for the Mariners will be hard to overcome.  Game 3 - Saturday, 4:05pm EST on TBS

    ALDS (Yankees 1, Guardians 0) - Gerritt Cole shined in his postseason debut at Yankee Stadium, allowing one run over 6.1 innings, and eight strikeouts. The Yankees were able to get four runs off of Guardians starter Cal Quantrill over five innings, backed by two solo shots by Harrison Bader and Anthony Rizzo. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday, with Shane Bieber going for the Guardians and Nestor Cortes going for the Yanks. Shane Bieber was incredibly dominant in the Wild Card round against the Rays, so if he can find his locations early, he will help propel the Guardians to even the series. This Guardians team has almost no playoff experience, so look for them to bounce back easily heading into two games at home backed by a pretty rowdy Cleveland crowd. Game 2 - Friday, 1:07pm EST on TBS

    NLDS (Phillies 1, Braves 1) - Braves pitching shined against the Phillies on Wednesday, only allowing three hits and one walk, while striking out eight. The reigning champs were simply outplayed in game one, with a uncharacteristic bad start from Max Fried. Bouncing back from a crushing loss is certainly the mark of a championship-caliber team, which the Braves appear to be for the second year in a row. The series heads to Philadelphia for two games, started off by the Phil's dominant starter Aaron Nola. The Braves have yet to announce theirs, but the projected starter is rookie sensation Spencer Strider. This will almost certainly be a pitchers duel, with an extreme lack of offense. If the Braves take Game Three, a guaranteed Game 5 in Atlanta should they lose Game 4 is something to look forward to. Game 3 - 4:37pm EST on FS1

    NLDS (Padres 1, Dodgers 1) - This series has been everything we've dreamed of as baseball fans. A back-and-forth battle between these NL West rivals makes it feel like this series is still absolutely up for grabs. The Padres bullpen has been lights-out dating back to the Mets series, with over 30 consecutive scoreless innings, which is made all the more impressive considering the offenses they've faced. The Dodgers bullpen has been just as dominant, with only two runs allowed in this series so far. The series heads to San Diego for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday, with Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson going for the Dodgers, and Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove going for the Padres. The Padres have the momentum on their side after a 5-3 nail biter win on Wednesday, riding a few unsuspecting hot bats in Jurickson Profar and Trent Grisham. I think the winner of this series will be determined on Friday. If the Padres can win two in a row against a team that has dominated them all season, a chance to clinch in front of the home crowd led by hometown hero Joe Musgrove, that will be all they need. Game 3 - 8:37pm EST on FS1

PATRIOTS STRUGGLES CONTINUE IN OVERTIME LOSS TO PACKERS

 by: Josh Nawoichik

Bailey Zappe got his surprise NFL debut in the 27-24 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Brian Hoyer played the first two drives for the Patriots and even scored a field goal on the opening drive, but Bellichek had enough and wanted to try out their 4th round draft pick. Zappe threw for only 99 yards in the contest, along with a touchdown pass to Davonte Parker in the 3rd quarter. 

Rodgers threw two touchdowns, both coming in the second half, and led an overtime drive ending in a Mason Crosby field goal to win the game. Rodgers had another poor start to the season after getting blown out in the first game; a very similar story compared to last year. This is now their third straight win, and it seems like each game Rodgers is gelling more and more with his receiving core. One of his touchdowns was caught by what seems to be his new favorite target in Romeo Doubs. 

“I told him after the game, I’m going to keep coming to you”, Rodgers said. “I’m proud of you.”

If hearing that from Aaron Rodgers doesnt bring enlightenment to Doubs than who knows what does. Doubs has caught touchdowns in his last two games and we should expect more output from him in the coming games. 

It has been a while since we have seen the Patriots on the bottom of the AFC East but they will have some key opportunities to put that look behind them with the next couple of games being against teams with bad records as well. Next week they will face off at home against the Lions which will not be as easy as theyre used to. The Lions are a well put together team that will put up a fight. Fans can expect a gritty game that is almost a must win if the Patriots want to make the playoffs. 

The second half of the Patriots schedule includes the Bills twice, Minnesota, Arizona, Las Vegas, the Dolphins hopefully with Tua, and Cincinnati. Those are all playoff contending teams and will make it extremely difficult to make the playoffs if the Patriots cannot win the next few games. With Mac Jones probably being out for a few weeks this is a difficult task.

END OF MLB SEASON, PLAYOFFS SET

 by: Jackson Elkins

The MLB regular season came to an end on Wednesday October, 5 and all the playoff seedings and matchups are set. We know who the six teams from American League and National League will be, three division winners, three Wild Card teams from each totaling to 12 teams this playoffs. There will be two Wild Card matchups and two teams with a bye in each of the AL and NL.

In the American League final standings, the top two teams who will receive a bye are the Houston Astros (AL West Champs) and the New York Yankees (AL East Champs). Then in the Wild Card games the Cleveland Guardians (AL Central Champs) will take on the Tampa Bay Rays (3rd AL Wild Card), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1st AL Wild Card) will host the Seattle Mariners (2nd AL Wild Card). 

In the National League, the two teams that will have a bye will be the Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West Champs) and the Atlanta Braves (NL East Champs). Wild Card games will be the St. Louis Cardinals (NL Central Champs) against the Philadelphia Phillies (3rd NL Wild Card), and then the New York Mets (1st NL Wild Card) who will take on the San Diego Padres (2nd NL Wild Card). 

It’s been a great season (apart from the disappointment of the Boston Red Sox). A historical season to say the least. First of all Aaron Judge has set the American League record for home runs hit in a season with 62, passing Roger Maris who hit 61 back in 1961. On the other hand, Albert Pujols has hit a milestone. That being him hitting his 700th career home run, he currently is at 703 which puts him fourth all time in home runs and is the fourth player to hit 700 home runs. Lastly, the Seattle Mariners making it into the postseason ends the streak of the longest playoff drought of any team in the four major professional sports leagues in the US (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL). The last time the Mariners were in the playoffs before this year was 2001 (before I was born).

Now, what team has the longest playoff drought of the four major US professional sports leagues?  That would be the NBAs Sacramento Kings who last made the playoffs in the 2005-06 season. Will that change this upcoming NBA season?

MLB WILD CARD UPDATE

 MLB Wild Card Update

    With the Red Sox eliminated, how does the rest of the MLB wild card races look? In a marathon of a season, it all comes down to the final week of the season for some teams. This is when the postseason race gets wild. Where do the remaining teams fall in their hunt for October?

    Starting with the American League, the Blue Jays clinched a playoff spot, and currently sit in first place in the wild card standing with the Yankees clinching the division a matter of days ago. In second place, the slumping Rays are struggling to hang on to their second spot, a half game up, with the Mariners looking to come out of a slump of their own and secure their first playoff berth since 2001. The Orioles, after knocking the Red Sox out of contention, are looking to unseat the Mariners or Rays, currently five games out heading into the final week, and a series against the Yankees. 

    In the National League, the Braves currently sit in the first wild card spot, with still a chance to win the division over the rival Mets. In the second spot, the Padres are three games up over the Brewers and Phillies, both of whom appear to be in a near freefall as they claw for the final spot. The Padres have won 8 of their last 11 and look to secure their first playoff berth in a full season since 2006. The only remaining team in the hunt is the Giants, who, with six games out and seven games remaining, look to be nearly eliminated. In their last 10 games, the Phillies have gone 3-7, falling out of the second wild card spot, now tied with the Brewers, who are coming out of their own slump.

    So, who are the best bets to make the playoffs this last week? In the American League, I would say the Mariners. They just had a huge slump knocking them out of the second wild card spot, but have recently looked to come out of the slump, heading into a home stand to close out the season. For the National League, although it may be biased, I would say the Padres. Again, they’ve won 8 of their last 11, coming out of another slump on the backs of their pitching and resurging offense. They are also currently going toe-to-toe with the Dodgers at home. These teams, in my mind, have the best chance to clinch the playoffs, with magic numbers at five and four, respectively.