Carlos Correa's Legacy Game, Texas Rangers Look Legit - ALDS Game 2 Recap
Breaking down the two postseason games on Sunday for you...
Sunday was a great sports day.
My New York Jets won to improve to 2-3. The less said about an all-time ugly game in Denver against the Broncos the better, but the Jets won and that’s all that matters. And, hey, there is no such thing as style points in professional sports. A win is a win.
Then, in an outcome that would have delighted the vast majority of America, the Dallas Cowboys not only got humbled, but they got the absolute tar beaten out of them. Stephen A. Smith won’t be able to contain himself on First Take on Monday.
By the way, just how good are the San Francisco 49ers?! They look legit, as does their QB Brock Purdy. If this team can stay healthy - which has been a major, major problem over the past couple of years - I can’t see any team stopping them. I just can’t. They are that good and they have elite weapons all over the field.
Anyway, enough football talk. While the NFL does dominate Sundays, MLB did its best to crash the party with two eye-opening playoff games that taught us a hell of a lot about each of the four teams involved.
With the NLDS having the day off, the spotlight was on the American League Division Series where one team moved a step closer to what seems like a probable sweep now, while another team showed a considerable amount of cubes to even the series and swing the momentum back in their favor.
Before I dive into recapping Sunday’s two games, however, I know there is a wider argument being played out at the moment about the negative by-product of the Best-of-Three Wild Card format in that the top seeds get a week layoff. Now, some are arguing that this extended break is the driving force behind why the likes of the Baltimore Orioles, the Atlanta Braves and the LA Dodgers have looked so damn bad in the Divisional Round so far.
Couple of things. And I won’t get too detailed here because I want to do a separate column on this topic, but I disagree with that sentiment. Big time. First of all, we’re talking about the bye teams having a week off, which isn’t all that long at all. We’re not talking about teams sitting for an entire month or even two weeks here. We’re talking about one lousy week. So we need to stop with that narrative.
And, secondly, maybe these struggles have more to do with the fact that the top seeds just aren’t prepared for one reason or another. We have known for a while now that the Dodgers don’t have starting pitching and that Clayton Kershaw’s bum left shoulder was going to be a problem. As great as Baltimore was during the regular season, this young team has never been here before. This is their first time playing this deep into October. And let me tell you something for free; postseason baseball is a totally different beast compared to regular season baseball. As for the Braves, all you need to do is go back to the NLDS last year to work out that Atlanta has a Phillies problem. They just do. They can’t seem to work out this team in the biggest spots. Also, this Phillies team is pretty damn special in its own right. I mean, they have Bryce Harper for God’s sake, and that guy always finds ways to reach another level in October. Then you have Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. That lineup is stacked. Not to mention that the Phillies have a couple of absolute horses in their starting rotation, and their bullpen is great.
So, no, I don’t agree that having a week off is the reason why the best teams in the regular season are now struggling to begin the postseason. Baseball is an unpredictable sport at the best of times, and it is no secret that the playoffs are an absolute crapshoot. Which is also true in all sports. There are a multitude of reasons why the likes of the Braves, the Orioles and the Dodgers have struggled out of the gate, but an extended break isn’t one of them.
I mean, the Houston Astros had no problem coming out hot in Game 1 of the ALDS, and they had the exact same five days off as the other teams with a bye did.
I’ll have more on this later in the week.
For now, let’s move on and get into the ALDS Game 2 Recaps…
ALDS Game 2 Recap
Minnesota Twins (1-1) 6-2 Houston Astros (1-1)
Sunday was all about the Carlos Correa show. With ace Pablo López appearing as a guest star.
But let’s leadoff with Correa.
I went into detail in my ALDS / NLDS Storylines piece how October belongs to Correa. He built his entire postseason legacy with the Houston Astros and now he was heading back to where it all began to try and take down his old team and add to his legacy with his new team the Twins.
While he went 2-for-4 with a double in Game 1, Game 2 was where Postseason Carlos Correa really came to play.
He had his fingerprints all over this win from the very start. It was clear that Correa had instructed his teammates that, if you get after Astros starter Framber Valdez early, you can get inside his head and get him rattled. It is that kind of inside knowledge from Correa that could give Minnesota a real edge in this series.
And it worked.
The Twins went after Valdez early and often and it resulted in a huge, momentum-changing first inning. Correa - because, who else - stepped up to the plate and laced a double to center field to score Jorge Polanco and get Minnesota on the board. Then, after Willi Castro had worked a lengthy at-bat, Kyle Farmer hit a two-run bomb that left the ground visibly shaking in Houston.
For the first time in this series, and for the first time in their recent, sparkling postseason history, the Astros looked vulnerable.
Correa wreaked more damage in the top of the fifth as his line drive single scored Michael A. Taylor and Donovan Solano. Not only did it pad Minnesota’s lead, but it was a precise dagger to Houston’s heart that also carried a lot of historical significance. In driving in a pair of runs, Correa passed Derek Jeter and David Ortiz and is now tied with David Justice for the most RBIs in postseason history with 63. Correa now trails only Bernie Williams (80) and Manny Ramirez (78) in the leaderboard and, considering that he’s not yet 30, coupled with how prolific he is in October, you wouldn’t bet against Correa eventually passing both of those legends of the game to take top spot.
Correa’s two-run single also knocked Valdez out of the game, who, in his 2023 postseason debut, exceeded the number of runs (4) he gave up in all four of his 2022 playoff starts combined.
Yikes.
Correa finished 3-for-4 with a two doubles, one walk and three RBIs, not to mention a breathtaking defensive play where he made an insane diving play before getting up and throwing Jeremy Peña out at first to end the game.
It was just a ridiculous play, and one that is symbiotic of how great Correa is once October rolls around.
He is morphing into the October monster he always was with the Astros, and the player the Twins hoped they would get when they signed Correa to a six-year, $200 million deal back in the offseason, despite very substantial concerns over his health after failed medicals with the Giants and the Mets.
Man, Correa’s ankle, that scared off both San Fransisco and New York, sure looks pretty good right now.
You can also put the great label on Pablo López, who too played a starring role in this Game 2 win for Minnesota. After the Astros exploded for six runs in Game 1, López ensured that wasn’t the case on Sunday. He was sensational and joined his childhood idol Johan Santana (2004) and World Series icon Jack Morris (1991) as the only Twins pitchers in franchise history to throw seven or more shutout innings in a playoff start.
López is also the first Twins pitcher to record multiple wins in the same postseason since Brad Radke in 2002, and he is now just one of four pitchers to go into Minute Maid Park and shut out the Astros for seven innings or more in a playoff game. And the first to do it in twenty years. Tom Glavine (Atlanta, 2001), Woody Williams (St. Louis, 2004), and Freddy García (White Sox, 2005) were the others.
The Astros just couldn’t touch López, who struckout seven and walked one in seven stellar scoreless innings of work. Knowing how this Houston lineup operates, and the fact that they absolutely feast on fastballs, López took that away and instead mowed through a potent and powerful lineup using a lethal diet of a changeup, slider and curveball. It got the desired result.
Houston did get on the board later in the game once López was done for the night, with Yordan Alvarez blasting a two-run bomb for his third homer of the series. Not that we should be surprised, because that’s what Alvarez does, he hits dingers for fun. However, there is no doubt that the Twins are now firmly in the driving seat. Heading back to Minnesota where Target Field will be ready, and with Sonny Gray on the mound for Game 3, complete with home-field advantage, an October juggernaut who delivers in the biggest moments like a true star should, and a lineup that can mash with the best of them, the Twins have a real chance to take the series lead against the reigning champs. And, maybe, just maybe, do a whole lot more than that.
Folks, we now have ourselves a series.
Texas Rangers (2-0) 11-8 Baltimore Orioles (0-2)
Maybe I was too high on the Baltimore Orioles.
Maybe I gave them too much credit for their prowess during the regular season in winning 101 games, ignoring the clear red flag that is a lack of experience of playing October baseball.
Or maybe I underestimated the Texas Rangers.
Maybe I didn’t give that team nearly enough credit.
After two games of this American League Division Series, I think it is the latter.
The Texas Rangers are legit, and I think a lot of it boils down to who they have in the dugout.
Bruce Bochy knows what October baseball entails better than he probably knows his own body and mind.
That’s testament to the wealth of experience he has this time of year.
Bochy boasts three World Series Championships - all with the Giants - four pennants and a gaudy .571 winning percentage in the postseason.
That’s pretty damn good.
Now, I believe in intangibles and I firmly believe that experience matters, especially come October time. There’s just too much evidence to convince me otherwise.
Bochy has experience and know-how by the bucketload, and that has allowed him to give his team a leg up in this series.
Just look at a key lineup decision he made for Game 2. Bochy opted to insert Mitch Garver, a backup catcher who had yet to appear in the 2023 postseason, into the lineup as the DH because, in Bochy’s words, it was “just time to get him out there.”
Well, whatever the thinking, it paid off.
Garver, who hit .270 with 19 home runs in 87 games during the regular season, strode up to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning and hit a towering grand slam to give Texas a commanding 9-2 lead.
That was the difference in the game.
So, basically, the backup catcher who was a bit-part player during the regular season - let’s be honest - and a player who has reached the 100-game plateau just once during his seven-year career in the bigs, not only iced a crucial Game 2 win, but he could have also iced this entire series too.
Because, allow me to be frank for a minute, this Texas team looks like an unstoppable, relentless machine and I would not be surprised one bit if they sweep the O’s on Tuesday.
And that’s also the genius of Bochy, by the way. That’s his considerable experience shining through. His gut told him - this is where analytics can take a running jump - that Mitch Garver would mash in Game 2.
Boy was Bochy right.
Sure, Baltimore fought back as Aaron Hicks, who got the O’s on the board first with a two-run single in the bottom of the first, blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to make it a three-run game. Also, it struck me as this was happening that Hicks may have experienced the biggest turnaround of any player this year. Batting a lowly .188/.263/.261/.254 with the Yankees during the first half of the year, Hicks proceeded to hit .275/.381/.425/.806 with seven doubles, seven homers and 31 RBIs with the Orioles during the second-half of the season. He’s also been one of Baltimore’s most reliable bats in this series, slashing .286/.444/.714/.1.159 with five RBIs.
Talk about a dramatic transformation.
I’m also sure that Baltimore will garner a lot of confidence from the at-bats they strung together late in Game 2. Gunner Henderson hit his first career playoff home run and went 2-for-4, Adley Rutschman got on base in a big spot, Jorge Mateo got on base four times (yes, four!), and Austin Hays went 3-for-4 at the plate with a walk. It is also important to note that the O’s never got swept during the regular season - the last time they were on the wrong end of a series sweep was way back in May 2022 - so there is a good chance that they go to Texas, steal Game 3 and at least make this series a little bit interesting.
However, three quick things:
This Rangers team is scary good and they are legit enough to make a run to the World Series.
The O’s have never been here before. They are young. They haven’t experienced postseason baseball before and, you know what, it has shown through the first two games.
Home advantage is now completely gone, and a big opportunity was missed in Game 2. The Orioles jumped out to an lead early but then rookie starter Grayson Rodriguez, making his first career postseason start, crapped the bed by giving up five runs in the second and then, before he came out of the game, loaded the bases which led to the Garver grand slam. There was no coming back from that.
And there may be no coming back for the O’s now. No matter how talented they are. This Texas team just ticks all the boxes and I would be shocked if they lose back-to-back games on their own turf. I just can’t see it happening.
Now back to Bochy. I truly believe the reason this Rangers team is so relentless, so formidable, why they consistently come up in big spots in every single facet of the game and why they are such a tough out, is down to their manager’s vast experience. I really do.
It is no coincidence to me that in his first year in the dugout, the Rangers made it back to the postseason and are now looking like they could go on and win the whole damn thing. It wasn’t like this team was good last year. They stunk. And they stunk bad. With Marcus Semien and Corey Seager both on the team in 2022, they lost 94 games. So, they have gone from losing nearly 100 games to making the playoffs and being a legit contender in a year.
You won’t convince me that it isn’t the Bruce Bochy effect.
For all of the big-ticket additions the Rangers have made the last two offseasons, hiring Bochy this past winter was the best move of the bunch. And it isn’t even close. His managerial prowess, his ability to press the right buttons, maximize the talent in that clubhouse and his know-how and knowledge of what it takes to win in October - when it matters the most - has elevated this team to the next level.
For context, here are some of the most notable moves the Texas Rangers have made since 2022:
Signed SS Corey Seager to a 10-year, $325 million deal
Signed 2B Marcus Semien to a 7-year, $175 million contract
Signed SP Jon Gray to a 4-year, $56 million deal
Signed RF Kole Calhoun to a 1-year, $5.2 million contract
Signed LF Brad Miller to a 2-year, $10 million deal
Signed SP Jacob deGrom to a 5-year, $185 million contract (max value could rise to $222 million)
Signed SP Nathan Eovaldi to a 2-year, $34 million deal
Signed SP Andrew Heaney to a 2-year, $25 million contract
Acquired C Austin Hedges from Pittsburgh
Acquired SP Jordan Montgomery from St. Louis
Acquired SP Max Scherzer from the New York Mets
When you consider that deGrom and Scherzer, the top two starters in any rotation in Major League Baseball, are both on the shelf right now, it just adds even more credence to my point that Bochy is a major reason why the Rangers are where they are. They’ve won two games on the road in the playoffs against a team that won 101 games during the regular season without their two main sluggers in Seager and Semien hitting a home run between them.
And, that’s why for me at least, of the plethora of moves this front office have made over the past two offseasons, hiring Bruce Bochy was by far the most important and most significant move they will ever make.
Bochy has been that much of a difference-maker. And if the Rangers do make it to the World Series, and even win it, Bochy’s experience-laden fingertips will be all over that success.
Before I move on, strange stat line of the day: Corey Seager - 0-for-1 with 2R and 5 BB. That is the most walks in a single game in postseason history and, for context, Game 2 was the 1,760th playoff game. Wow. Teams just don’t want to pitch to Seager, and who can blame them considering he has mashed 66 homers in his last two seasons combined.
Also, the Texas Rangers outscored the Dallas Cowboys 11-10 on Sunday. Sorry, Cowboys fans, just couldn’t resist.
Moving on…
Philadelphia Phillies (1-0) At Atlanta Braves (0-1) - 6:07 P.M. ET (TBS)
RHP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia (1-0, 1.35 ERA) - LHP Max Fried, Atlanta (8-1, 2.55 ERA)
I’m starting to become more and more convinced that the Phillies are this year’s team of destiny. Just like they were last year. They are that special and that good. This is a team that boasts a loaded lineup 1-through-9, a stellar starting rotation and a bullpen that has been red hot. Then they went and made the biggest statement possible in Atlanta in Game 1. They got to a Cy Young candidate in Spencer Strider while shutting down one of the best offenses we’ve ever seen in the history of the game. With Max Fried struggling with a blister on his hand, there is every chance this could get ugly early for Atlanta. Because, if Fried can’t find the zone, then this stacked Phillies lineup will absolutely feast on him. Plus, Postseason Bryce Harper is hitting .352 with a 1.186 OPS in 20 playoff games with the Phillies, so you know he will have a big night. If the Braves fail to respond in Game 2, then they are probably well and truly cooked.
Arizona Diamondbacks (1-0) At LA Dodgers (0-1) - 9:07 P.M. ET (TBS)
RHP Zac Gallen, Arizona (1-0, 3.00 ERA) - RHP Bobby Miller, LA (11-4, 3.76 ERA)
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will both have a monster game each at some point in this series, but the Dodgers best hope it comes in Game 2. After laying an extra-large Godzilla-sized egg in Game 1, the pressure is on LA, especially with Zac Gallen on the mound for the D-Backs. Gallen was stellar in the Wild Card Series and he will look to shut down Betts and Freeman and cut the head off the snake when it comes to putting the shackles on this LA offense. As for the Dodgers, they are putting all of their hopes and expectations on the young shoulders of rookie Bobby Miller, who will be making his first career playoff start on Monday. Let’s hope that decision works out better than Baltimore’s decision to hand the ball to rookie Grayson Rodriguez in Game 2 on Sunday, who promptly gave up five earned runs before being pulled. Miller will need to be solid and Betts and Freeman will have to put this team on their back in order to tie this series, with the Diamondbacks clearly not afraid of anyone. They are playing loosey-goosey without fear right now, and that’s dangerous for any team to try and combat.
Hopefully that has you set for another day of postseason baseball!
See you on Tuesday for a recap of all of Monday’s action in the NLDS.
