The MLB trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and the dog days of summer have arrived. With just over eight weeks remaining in the 2022 regular season, the playoffs are really starting to heat up. Let’s dive into what you need to know about this weekend’s action.
WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: Vince Curry Tribute
Earlier this week, the world lost sports broadcasting giants. The great Vince Curry dies at 94. Scully played for the Dodgers for 67 years, starting with the team in Brooklyn until his retirement in 2016. On Friday, the Dodgers played their first home game since Scully’s death, and the pregame tribute was a moving one.
Sculley is believed to have played more than 9,000 games in his career, including 18 no-hitters and three perfect games. Here are 10 of his most memorable phone calls.
The NL Central game has been flipped since the trade deadline. On the morning of the deadline, the Brewers led the Cardinals by two games. St. Louis hasn’t lost since, going a perfect 6-0 since, including sweeping the Yankees at home this weekend. Nolan Arenado hit a 3-run homer in a 12-9 win over new Yankee Frankie Montas on Sunday. The series marked the first time the Yankees have swept their opponents in a three-game (or four-game) series this year.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are 1-5 since the trade deadline. They were swept in Pittsburgh earlier this week and led in all three games after trading Josh Hader. They then lost two-thirds to the Reds at home this weekend. Devin Williams, the new linebacker after Hader, coughed two runs in the 10th inning and lost the game on Sunday.
In less than a week, the Cardinals went from two games behind the Brewers to two games ahead. The two clubs still have seven games remaining, including three in St. Louis next weekend, but the tone of this division has changed a lot in a short amount of time.
I’m not sure if the Nationals can get 45 wins this season. They are 36-74 after Sunday’s loss and they just traded off their two best hitters. The Phillies went 45-12 and 14-1 in their four-game sweep this weekend, a game cut to five innings by rain. Reece Hoskins has played well in all four games.
The Phillies’ record is five consecutive home runs: Odúbel Herrera (2018), Hoskins (2017), Chase Utley (twice in 2008), Bobby Abreu (2005), Mike Schmidt (1979) and Dick Allen (1969) . Philadelphia rests on Monday, then Hoskins will go deeper for his fifth straight game Tuesday against Marlins southpaw Braxton Garrett.
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Dream game: Major League Baseball returns to Iowa this Thursday for its second (annual?) Dream Field game in Dyersville. This year’s dream field game won’t have a lot of pennant game drama – it’s the Cubs vs. the Reds – although baseball in different places is always fun, and if last year’s game is any indication, we’ll see some fireworks. The Yankees and White Sox hit a combined eight home runs in last year’s Dream Game, including multiple lead changes in the ninth.
Cardinals Brewers (three games): The Cardinals are hot, the Brewers are icy, and St. Louis enters the game Sunday with a first-place finish for the first time since June 22. Needless to say, these three games at Busch Stadium will be hugely important in the NL Central race, especially considering what happened afterward. After the series in St. Louis, the Brewers will play the Dodgers in seven of the next 10 games. The Cardinals will face the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Cubs in their next 11 games. Crucial weeks are coming for the NL Central.
Orioles at Rays (three games): The upstart Orioles are just two games behind the Rays in the third and final American League wild-card berth. The two AL East rivals will play three games at Tropicana Field next weekend, so when you read next week’s weekend recap, it’s entirely possible that Baltimore is in a playoff spot. The series is 8-8 this season, with the Rays leading 5-1 at home. This is the last regular-season series between the two clubs, and remember, there are no more Game 163 tiebreakers. Now all relationships are broken mathematically, even if one team will make the playoffs and the other will not. If the two clubs finish with the same record, a tiebreaker will be held for the winner of the series next weekend.
Yankees at Red Sox (three games): The Pro Baseball Writers Charter asks me to mention that the Yankees and Red Sox renew The Rivalry™ at Fenway Park next weekend, even though it will (probably) be the first team vs. the last team and we’re all overdone Saturated the Yankees-Red Sox. Irony aside, the Yankees and Red Sox do tend to play variable games, regardless of where each team sits in the standings. If you’re a Chaosball fan, this collection is for you.
