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For the first time in the Division Series era, all four matchups are tied at 1-1, as this incredible postseason continues to impress. Plus: Ken has the latest on the Dodgers/Padres drama. Speaking of the Dodgers … are they OK? I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!
Beating the Odds: Detroit keeps finding a way
Tigers 3, Guardians 0: There’s more than one way for a playoff game to be a thriller. One we haven’t seen much of this postseason? The pitcher’s duel. For eight innings, Game 2 felt a lot like Jenga: first one to screw up loses.
Tarik Skubal (perhaps powered by a Jobu doll? Cleveland blasphemy!) was brilliant. He went seven innings, allowing no runs on three hits, striking out eight and walking none. On the other side, his former teammate Matthew Boyd wasn’t quite as sharp — four hits, five strikeouts and two walks — and didn’t last as long (4 2/3 innings), but allowed the same number of runs: zero.
In the top of the eighth, after an intentional walk put runners on first and second, Stephen Vogt went to the game’s best closer, Emmanuel Clase. Meanwhile, the game’s best starter (Skubal) was getting high fives and hugs for a job well done.
It felt like a momentum shift in Cleveland’s favor, heightened after Steven Kwan’s zero-margin-for-error catch to end the inning.
Things to know about Clase in the 2024 regular season:
- This was not a save opportunity, but as a measure of his dominance, he was 47/50 in save opportunities.
- He allowed just two home runs in 74 1/3 innings.
- He allowed just three earned runs in 42 innings at home.
- Opposing hitters hit a hilarious .154/.190/.202 (.392 OPS) against him.
So it felt like a small miracle when Jake Rogers and Trey Sweeney both singled in the ninth inning; like a war of attrition that would at least prevent Clase from pitching the 10th inning, should it get that far.
I’m not sure what the next step up from a miracle is, but we saw it. Kerry Carpenter smashed a three-run blast — the first three-run homer allowed in Clase’s career — to account for the 3-0 score, and the series is even at 1-1.
More Guardians: Alex Cobb has been waiting a long time for this. The Guardians hope he’s up to the task tomorrow.
Ken’s Notebook: More beef from Dodgers-Padres Game 2
From my latest column, with Fabian Ardaya and Andy McCullough:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday he thought Padres third baseman Manny Machado threw a baseball at him between innings of Game 2 of the NLDS, adding yet another layer to an emotion-filled debacle in San Diego’s victory to even the series at 1-1.
Roberts, who said he noticed Machado’s throw after observing the video, called the All-Star third baseman’s actions “unsettling.”
“There was intent behind it,” Roberts said. “It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very — it’s pretty disrespectful.
“I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it.”
A person in the Dodgers dugout confirmed Monday that Machado’s throw went toward the end of the dugout closest to home plate, where Roberts sits during games. The Athletic observed a video that showed Machado’s throw hitting the netting in front of Roberts and caroming toward home plate. In the video, umpire Tripp Gibson approaches Machado moments later. The Dodgers have submitted the video to MLB for review.
Machado, who played for Roberts and the Dodgers in 2018, told The Athletic on Sunday night he did indeed throw a baseball toward the Dodgers dugout. How hard he threw it was up for dispute between the two sides.
“Did Flaherty throw the ball hard at the other guy?” Machado said, alluding to Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch the previous half-inning. “They can say whatever they want. I threw the ball like I always throw it into any dugout.”
A Fairly Normal Game: Yankees can’t capitalize
Royals 4, Yankees 2: Bear with me, but I have an analogy…
If you’re old enough, you probably remember the first time you saw a pitcher hit 100 mph on the radar gun. For me, it was in the early 90s. Rob Dibble was the Reds closer, and it was “SportsCenter”-worthy when he cracked triple digits. Back then, there were only a couple of guys who had been credibly clocked that high.
In 2024, there were 3,321 pitches thrown at 100 mph or faster. Dibble was a menace in 1990, but if he were in the big leagues today, you might not even know his name unless he played for your favorite team.
My point: The Royals’ 4-2 win over the Yankees last night was a 99 mph fastball. Pretty good! Kansas City overcame a 1-0 deficit by scoring four and knocking out Yankees starter Carlos Rodón in the fifth inning.
There was even a little drama in the ninth, as Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered to cut the lead to two, and Jon Berti managed a two-out single to bring the tying run to the plate.
But when compared to the bonkers madness we’ve been exposed to over the last week or so, it felt a little bit like a pleasant ride on an all-ages kiddie coaster after surviving a half-dozen Red Bull space jumps.
Lucas Erceg put an end to it by inducing a grounder to shortstop by Gleyber Torres. I’m going to guess that not many of you noticed how hard Erceg threw the last pitch. It was a 99 mph fastball.
Deep Questions: Are the Dodgers cooked?
Sure, it was one game. But given how Game 2 shook out, it’s worth examining a little more deeply: Are the Dodgers in trouble?
Fabian Ardaya wrote a really insightful story after Sunday night’s game, saying that if the Dodgers were going to emerge victorious, they were going to have to “hit their way through the NLDS.”
Sure, every team has to hit to win. But consider these factors: Even without starter Joe Musgrove, the Padres still have Michael King, Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish. The Dodgers’ top three: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who has surpassed four innings just once since returning from injury on Sept. 10), Jack Flaherty (who wouldn’t start again until Game 5) and Walker Buehler (who posted a 5.38 ERA this year upon returning from Tommy John surgery).
Since Aug. 1, the Dodgers’ bullpen has a better ERA than the Padres’ vaunted relief corps — 3.53 to 3.78 — but on closer examination, San Diego relievers have the edge in FIP (3.60 to 4.05), K/9 (9.38 to 8.69), BB/9 (2.91 to 3.24) and fWAR (5.5 to 4.5).
So yes, L.A.’s offense will need to be the catalyst. And let’s be honest: They absolutely have one of those. But Freddie Freeman’s ankle is still questionable after leaving Game 2 early, and Mookie Betts is mired in an 0-for-22 slump in postseason at-bats.
King versus Buehler in Game 3 feels favorable for San Diego. But the wild card in this series could be Game 4. The Padres could go with Cease on short rest, or could tab Martín Pérez — either way, they will likely have to rely heavily on their bullpen. Likewise for the Dodgers, who may use an opener ahead of rookie Landon Knack.
If the Dodgers can emerge from San Diego with the series tied, they’ll have Flaherty back on the mound at home for Game 5 in a rematch of Game 2. If you don’t have a rooting interest, that feels like a wildly entertaining possibility.
Tonight’s NLDS Schedule:
Stream the MLB playoffs on Fubo.
Handshakes and High Fives
(Top photo: Junfu Han / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)