If the Colorado Rockies hope to reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in club history Jack Morris Jersey , they’ll need to beat the teams they’re expected to beat.The Rockies will get another chance Tuesday night in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.The Rockies (71-60) missed an opportunity to move into a tie atop the National League West by blowing a late lead against the Angels on Monday night in a 10-7 loss.Article continues below ...Colorado had moved ahead 7-5 on a grand slam by DJ LeMahieu in the eighth inning and appeared on the verge of handing the Angels their seventwalks from the bullpen and a bases-loaded two-out throwing error by shortstop Trevor Story.The loss left the Rockies a game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost 2-0 at the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.Colorado fell to 25-25 this season against teams below .500.They’ll get a chance to improve on that mark over the next eight games, all against teams that entered Tuesday with losing records. On the flip side, Colorado has the second-most victories against teams with winning records (46-35).During one stretch this summer, Colorado faced 46 consecutive opponents with a winning record, which tied for the longest stretch in NL history. The Rockies went 30-16 in that span.The Angels (64-68) avoided losing seven in a row for the first time in two years.Reduced to playing spoiler, Los Angeles was swept over the weekend by the American League West-leading Houston Astros at Angel Stadium.The Angels took their first lead since Aug. 19 with a four-run fourth inning on Monday night, moving ahead 4-2 on a three-run homer by Shohei Ohtani. Mike Trout then hit his first home run since July 31 to give the Angels a 5-2 lead.Ohtani is 4-for-8 in his past two starts with two home runs and five RBIs.“He’s impressive off the charts,” Angels outfielder Eric Young Jr. told Fox Sports West after the game. “The natural talent that he is, I’m glad that we’ve got him on our team.”Ohtani mainly starts against right-handers, and Colorado is scheduled to start left-hander Kyle Freeland, leaving Angels manager Mike Scioscia with another tough decision.Freeland (11-7, 2.96 ERA) is 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 14 starts since June 16.Freeland http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-aledmys-diaz-jersey , a Denver native and the eighth overall draft pick in 2014, has pitched at least five innings in his past 14 starts, allowing more than three earned runs just once.“Kyle’s been so consistent,” Rockies manager Bud Black told MLB.com after his last outing. “That’s the thing I’m really proud of and impressed by, just the consistency over the last 3 1/2 months. He’s taking the ball deep into the game, his strike-throwing ability, his ability to make big pitches at certain key parts of the game — as a second-year pitcher, he’s made big strides since his rookie season.”Freeland has never faced the Angels in his two-year career.After 102 major league relief appearances, Angels right-hander Noe Ramirez will make his first career start on Tuesday.Ramirez (4-4, 4.76 ERA) earned his first career save on Monday night. Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesAfter six months and 162 regular-season games, the real action has begun with the 2018 MLB playoffs.The American League bracket had been set for some time with three 100-win teams and two more dangerous squads all having their eyes on a World Series title. On the other hand, the National League playoffs remained a mess until the final day.There are now just two teams remaining. The margin for error at this point is slim, likely creating plenty of drama until a World Series champion is crowned.Here is what you need to know for the playoffs, with a bracket available at MLB.com.2018 MLB Playoff ScheduleTiebreaker GamesMilwaukee Brewers defeat Chicago Cubs http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-aaron-loup-jersey , 3-1Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Colorado Rockies, 5-2National League Wild Card GameColorado Rockies defeat Chicago Cubs, 2-1 (13 innings) American League Wild Card GameNew York Yankees defeat Oakland A's, 7-2 National League Division Series (Milwaukee Brewers defeat Colorado Rockies 3-0)Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies, 3-2 (10 innings)Game 2: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies, 4-0Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies, 6-0 National League Division Series (Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Atlanta Braves 3-1)Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves, 6-0Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves, 3-0Game 3: Atlanta Braves def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves; 6-2 American League Division Series (Boston Red Sox defeat New York Yankees 3-1)Game 1: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees, 5-4Game 2: New York Yankees def. Boston Red Sox, 6-2Game 3: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees16-1Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees, 4-3 American League Division Series (Houston Astros defeat Cleveland Indians 3-0)Game 1: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians, 7-2Game 2: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians Matt Adams Jersey , 3-1Game 3: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians, 11-3 National League Championship Series (Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Milwaukee Brewers 4-3)Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-0Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers def.Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1 (13 innings)Game 5 os Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers, 5-2Game 6:Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2Game 7: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1 American League Championship Series (Boston Red Sox defeatHouston Astros 4-1)Game 1: Houston Astros def. Boston Red Sox, 7-2Game 2: Boston Red Sox def.Houston Astros, 7-5Game 3: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros, 8-2Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros, 8-6Game 5: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros, 4-1 World Series (Boston Red Sox defeat Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1)Game 1: Boston Red Sox def.Los Angeles Dodgers http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , 8-4Game 2: Boston Red Sox def.Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Boston Red Sox, 3-2 (18 innings)Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-6Game 5: Boston Red Sox def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1Full schedule available at MLB.com. Top StorylinesThe Brewers Finally LostJustin Edmonds/Getty ImagesSometimes, playoff success simply comes down to being hot at the right time, and that was perfectly fine for the Milwaukee Brewers.The squad had seven straight wins to match the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and then followed it up with a win in Game 163 to avoid the Wild Card game. While the division rivals were eliminated in the sudden-death game, Milwaukee went onto sweep the Colorado Rockies.The 11 straight wins put them in rare territory in MLB history:MLB Stat of the Day MLBStatoftheDayThe Brewers are riding an 11-game winning streak into the #NLCS.Talk about getting hot at the perfect time. HUm9UVJioIThe winning streak grew to 12 games with Milwaukee's victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the NLCS.Alas, the Dodgers finally ended the win streak in Game 2 of the NLCS, when Justin Turner's two-run homer in the eighth inning gave them a 4-3 win.But the Brewers remained one of the best stories in baseball. Christian Yelich was the big star as the likely MVP in the National League, but there were other players who helped put the games in the hands of the bullpen. This is where the real strength of the team was as Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, Jeremy Jeffress and others can shorten any game.While the Dodgers eliminated them, the Brewers were amazing since late September http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joaquin-benoit-jersey , even if their win streak finally came to a close. Ultimately, the Brewers just couldn't regain their momentum in time to save their season.Can the Red Sox Avoid a Final Let Down?Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesThere is something special about a playoff series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. While the first round was mostly filled with one-sided matchups, the AL East rivals at least held our attention due to the tension in every game.Just like during the regular season, Boston was the better team in the ALDS, winning the series in four games and earning bragging rights for the next five months.The problem is this was just the start of the postseason for the Red Sox.This team won 108 games this year so it is obviously talented, but the players are relatively inexperienced when it comes to playoff success. Most of the roster had never won a playoff series before this year, so winning one over a hated rival is certain to create a lot of excitement.Rookie manager Alex Cora responded, though, and rallied his team for a five-game victory over a very good Astros team.There are still lingering questions about top starters Chris Sale and David Price in the playoffs, so this is no time for Boston to relax. Sale was hospitalizedfor a stomach illness, and Price has struggled in the postseason throughout his career even though he allowed just three hits and zero runs in the closeout game against Houston.Boston was baseball's best team during the regular season. But the Dodgers represent a monumental challenge for the Sox in the World Series. |
