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The Angels continue to amaze and amaze in all the wrong ways, the Marlins are on the rise at the right time, and (somewhat fittingly) the playoff picture became simultaneously clearer and murkier over the course of the weekend. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal – welcome to the Windup!
Angels can’t be normal for five minutes
“I’ll never get it right, you’ll never get it right.”
Shohei Ohtani is involved in the Angels’ latest escapades. (Kiyoshi Mio / USA Today)
I have friends who are Angels fans, so I feel a little sorry for being so amused by their team’s dogmatic devotion to dysfunction. I could write a whole column about this, but Marc Carig has already made the point.
From the angels’ point of view, it is a disaster. For us mayhem revelers, this weekend was entertainment not to be missed.
• It’s not entertaining that Shohei Ohtani is out the rest of the season with an oblique injury (along with his UCL injury) – the sport is better when he’s playing it. What’s crazy is that before the team announced anything, reporters found Ohtani’s locker cleaned out and the contents packed in a duffel bag. The Angels declined comment until the next morning.
• It’s no fun that Anthony Rendon’s season was derailed by injury. It’s incredibly bizarre that Rendon avoided reporters for 10 weeks while the Angels announced a “deep bone bruise,” only to drop the bombshell on Friday that he had a broken tibia.
• Of course, this happened after the team was up for sale, but then no more. After Rendon was suspended for a scuffle with a fan in Oakland. After contemplating trading Ohtani, they changed course and, against all odds, went all-in at the trade deadline. After doing a 180 degree turn and foregoing the guys they acquired in order to get under the luxury tax threshold (and perhaps failing to do so).
Lest I sound like someone who delights in the mistakes of angels, I also enjoy the good chaos. Rewatch this play from the 2020 World Series, it’s my favorite!
… Although I think about it now, from a Los Angeles perspective, that wasn’t “good chaos” either. Sorry, Los Angeles.
More angels: Some good news: Jared Walsh — who has been out since June 23 with neurological symptoms believed to be related to the effects of COVID-19 — has returned to the big leagues.
Ken’s notebook: The Marlins are back in the race at the September rally
On August 30, the Marlins lost for the 16th time in 24 games, their record fell to 66-67, and their playoff odds fell to 11 percent. Their impressive run under first-year coach Skip Schumaker appeared to be over. Good job, guys. It was fun while it lasted. See you in 2024.
However, the Marlins had other ideas.
Much like the Diamondbacks, who lost 25 of 32 games from July 2 through Aug. 11, the Marlins rallied to get back into an NL wild-card race that has become increasingly competitive. The Marlins, who have won 12 of their last 17 games, including a home win over the Braves this weekend, are tied with the Cubs for the third wild card and are a half-game behind the Diamondbacks for the second wild card.
How do the Marlins do it? Not with the starting pitching that was once their strength. Sandy Alcantara, who finally looked more like the reigning 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner in the second half, landed on the injured list midway through that run with a right UCL sprain. Over the last 2 1/2 weeks, the Marlins have used three openers, a struggling Johnny Cueto three times and Bryan Hoeing in his first start since July 5. Their rotation anchors are Jesús Luzardo, rookie phenom Eury Pérez and Braxton Garrett in his first start all season.
Garrett in particular has been good, posting a 2.36 ERA in his last nine starts. Left-hander Tanner Scott, who leads NL relievers with 94 strikeouts, has emerged as the Josh Hader of the Miami bullpen. But it’s the offense, which produced an impressive 36 runs in the win over the Braves, that may have been the team’s most intriguing element over the last two weeks.
Entering the weekend, the Marlins ranked 27th in the majors in runs per game. Even after their three-game breakthrough, there’s no mistaking them for the Braves or Dodgers. But Luis Arraez, who hit 8 of 15 with three homers against Atlanta, is hot again. And Jazz Chisholm Jr., who barely played from mid-May to late July due to injuries, has an OPS of .817 since his return.
The hitters the Marlins acquired at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, Jake Burger and Josh Bell, have combined to hit 17 home runs since joining the club, with Burger posting an OPS of .893 and Bell posting an OPS of .783. Jorge Soler, who went on the IL with a right oblique strain on Sept. 6, returned Sunday and hit his 36th home run.
The Marlins’ minus-37 run differential is second-worst among non-Phillies NL wild-card contenders, ahead of only the Reds’ minus-42 run differential. But their playoff odds are up to 55.5 percent according to FanGraphs, second only to the Diamondbacks at 55.9 percent. And Miami’s remaining schedule – six games at home against the Mets and Brewers, then six on the road against the Mets and Pirates – isn’t particularly daunting.
The addition of a third wild card changed the dynamic for teams like the Marlins and Diamondbacks, who seemed all but done. Such teams show the value of continuing to fight, knowing that competition is just a stone’s throw away.
Playoff image sharp but still blurry
“The things we know, the things we dream about”
As Ken pointed out, the Marlins have wreaked havoc on their own in the NL Wild Card pursuit. But that’s not the only thing we learned this weekend.
• This time last week, the NL wild-card race looked like a four-team competition for one spot. But the Diamondbacks defeated the Cubs over the weekend (and passed them for the second wild-card spot), meaning five teams are within two of each other in the loss list.
• The AL scene isn’t much clearer and is directly tied to the AL West standings. The Astros lost four of six games against the weak A’s and Royals last week. The Rangers defeated the Blue Jays and then were defeated by the Guardians. The Mariners hosted the LA team who went 1-5. That puts the Astros 1 1/2 games ahead in the division, Toronto a half game ahead of Texas for the second and third wild card spots and the Mariners a game out.
• There was some clarity. The Rays and Orioles tied a four-game series and both teams secured a playoff spot. But Baltimore’s division lead over Tampa is still just two games. For the Orioles, the postseason berth was the first since 2016. In the meantime, they suffered three hundred defeats this season.
• The Dodgers also won their 10th NL West Division pennant in the last 11 years, meaning four teams – the Dodgers, Braves, Orioles and Rays – are included. The Twins, Brewers and Phillies aren’t there yet, but all three seem likely to make it. This means that nine teams are still fighting for the last five places. Buckle up.
More on the playoff picture: What would the matchups look like if postseason games began today?
Adam Jones and Bartolo Colon are officially retiring
“It’s okay because legends never die”
Adam Jones, Oriole Forever. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Two sentimental scenes occurred this weekend: Adam Jones (Orioles) and Bartolo Colon (Mets) each officially retired with their former teams.
Jones’ performance at Camden Yards was a nice reminder of the Orioles’ previous winning streak. His postseason stats weren’t great in 2012, 2014 and 2016, but he was one of the main reasons those teams made the playoffs in the first place. Jones has been the heart and soul of the Orioles for the last 12 of his 14 big league seasons.
The peak came in line with those playoff years. From 2012 to 2016, Jones posted an 18.9 bWAR, won three of his four Gold Gloves, four of his five All-Star teams, a Silver Slugger and finished in the top 15 in AL MVP voting three times.
Colon, on the other hand, was one of the biggest characters in the game during his 21-year career. I wrote this about him before his final season with the Rangers in 2018.
It’s not that Colon didn’t have success before joining the Mets. He had already won a Cy Young Award (and finished in the top 10 three other times). He played for 11 teams in his career and was only a Met in three of those 21 seasons. But it was his time with the Mets that made him an urban legend. (Sure, let’s look at the home run again.)
Handshakes and high fives
It’s all about the future for the Yankees right now, including benching some veterans, evaluating Michael King and making decisions about who they bring back. There are questions in Boston, too, but one has been answered: Triston Casas looks like the real deal.
Andrea Arcadipane takes a look at some of the AL East’s breakout players in 2023 and tries to figure out what exactly went so well for them.
If you’ve never heard of Louie Varland of the Twins, that’s okay. You’ll probably see him on some national shows next month. He is joined by his teammate Royce “Dr. Evil” Lewis, who can’t stop hitting Grand Slams.
Despite all the necessary changes in St. Louis, the manager apparently won’t be one of them.
Jim Bowden takes a look at each team’s most influential rookie.
The Astros are making changes to the batter’s eye after players expressed concerns that it would negatively impact their ability to see incoming pitches.
In the latest On Deck, Stephen Nesbitt and I discuss Clayton Kershaw’s comments that he needs to “earn” a spot in the Dodgers’ worn-out postseason rotation.
(Top photo of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jorge Soler: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)