The MLB trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and summer dog days have arrived. With just over eight weeks left in the 2022 regular season, postseason racing is starting to get underway. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about this weekend’s action.
Weekend Highlights: Vin Scully Tribute
Earlier this week, the world lost a giant in sports broadcasting. The great Vin Scully has died at 94Scully played in Dodgers games for 67 years, from when the team was still in Brooklyn until he retired in 2016. The pre-match tribute ceremony was moving and touching.
Scully is believed to have called over 9,000 games in his career, including 18 no-hitters and three perfect games. Here are his 10 most memorable phone calls.
The NL Central race has been turned upside down since the trade deadline. Deadline morning, the Brewers led the Cardinals by two games. St. Louis hasn’t lost since, achieving his perfect 6-0, including sweeping the Yankees at home this weekend. Nolan Arenado hit big with his three-run home run against new Yankee Frankie Montas in his 12-9 victory on Sunday. The series marks the first time the Yankees have been swept in his three-game (or four-game) series this year.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are 1-5 by the trade deadline. They were swept in Pittsburgh earlier this week, blowing off late-game leads in all three games after trading Josh Hader, before they went on to win two of his three at home to the Reds this weekend. It was dropped. Post-Hader’s new closer, Devin Williams, spit out two runs in the 10th to lose on Sunday.
In less than a week, the Cardinals went from being two games behind the Brewers to two games behind them. The two clubs still have seven games left, including his three next weekend in St. Louis, but the mood in the division has changed a lot in a short amount of time.
Mets take over Braves, 5-4
When you look at baseball standings, there is no such thing as momentum. The latest example is what he looks like in the NL East this season. Heading into June, the Mets already had a 10 1/2 game lead.The Braves started the month with a 14-game winning streak. The lead he had dwindled to 3.5 games by the end of June. Thanks to the Braves’ July 14–5 start, the Mets’ lead shrunk to just 1/2 a game until July 23.
The Mets then opened fire.
Still, the Mets’ lead was 3 and 1/2 games into Thursday when the five-game series between the two NL East powers began.
The Mets entered and won 4 of 5 games to push their lead to 6.5 games. This was his first lead since June 18th.
The race is not over yet. With seven head-to-heads remaining between the two teams, and having seen how quickly things can change in just a few weeks, the Mets are now feeling pretty confident, especially with Jacob deGrom. Must have on Sunday (Full story here).
Dodgers still own the Padres
It wasn’t even a week ago that the Padres were, understandably, showered with praise for their trade deadline activity. Perhaps the Dodgers were pissed about it. maybe not. They’re probably a lot better than that, and they showed the same during the Padres’ three-game sweep, where the Dodgers are 55-18 against the Padres this season, with him going 8-2. . Full story here.
I don’t know if the Nationals will win 45 games this season. After Sunday’s loss, they went up to his 36-74 record, trailing the two best hitters in the trade. The Phillies have had a four-game sweep this weekend where he won 45-12, went 14-1 with a home run, and rained one game that cut him to five innings. Rhys Hoskins went deep in all four of his games.
The Phillies record is a five-game home run streak that has been played several times: Odubel Herrera (2018), Hoskins (2017), Chase Utley (twice in 2008), Bobby Ablue (2005), Mike Schmidt (1979), Dick Allen (1969). Philadelphia has Monday off, and Hoskins is looking to go deep for a fifth straight game against Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett on Tuesday.
on deck
Field of Dreams game: MLB is back in Iowa this Thursday for its second (annual?) Field of Dreams game in Dyersville. There hasn’t been much pennant race drama in this year’s Field of Dreams game. It’s Cubs vs. Reds, but baseball in different locations is always fun. The Yankees and Whites combined for his Sox in last year’s Field of Dreams game, where he hit eight homers and led multiple changes in the ninth.
Cardinals Brewers (3 games): The Cardinals are hot, the Brewers are ice cold, and St. Louis entered the game Sunday with a sweep of the top spot for the first time since June 22nd. A central race, especially given what happens after that. Following the series in St. Louis, the Brewers will face the Dodgers in seven of his next 10 games. The Cardinals will face the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Cubs in his next 11 games. An important few weeks at NL Central are just around the corner.
Orioles at the Rays (3 games): The up-and-coming Orioles are just two games behind the Rays for the third and final wildcard spot in the American League. The two AL East rivals have his three games at Tropicana Field next weekend, so it’s entirely possible that Baltimore will be in postseason position by the time you read next weekend’s recap. The season series is 8-8, and the Rays are 5-1 at home. Note that this is the last regular season series between these two clubs, with no more Game 163 tiebreaks. All relationships are now mathematically brokeneven in a tie where one team goes into the postseason and the other does not.
Red Sox Yankees (3 games): Professional Baseball’s Writers’ Rules should mention that the Yankees and Red Sox will renew The Rivalry™ at Fenway Park next weekend. Yankees-Red Sox. Sarcasm aside, the Yankees and Red Sox tend to have eventful games regardless of where each team sits. If you’re a Chaos Ball fan, this is the series for you.