thependulumswings

Do you remember the old MLB slogan?   It was “Baseball Fever.  Catch It!”  As the leaves are turning this Fall 2018 if you don’t like what’s going on in the MLB as it heads to the season’s final games on Sunday, you might not ever catch the fever.  More than a few numbers below explain how, after 157 of 162 games per team this year, much and little has been decided.  It’s a tale of two leagues.

In the American League the Boston Red Sox have clinched the best regular season record giving them the home field advantage as long as they are in the playoffs.  They could win 111 games.  Fear the boys from Beantown.

The defending World Series Champion Houston Astros clinched their division and won their 100th game last evening.  They became the first team since the Oakland A’s in 1990 to have a triple digit win season the year after their WS win.  Unless Correa, Springer, and Altuve kick it up a notch (thanks Emeril!) in the postseason they will go only as far as their league ERA low pitching will carry them.

Speaking of the Money Ball (thanks Brad Pitt!) A’s, they now have 95 wins and counting this year.  That’s the most wins by a team owning the lowest opening day payroll in MLB in the last 30 seasons.   Their reward for this productivity per dollar spent is very likely to travel to the city that never sleeps (thanks Frank!) to face the New York Yankees.  The Bronx Bombers have spent huge at 180 million to the A’s frugal 80 million.  In a one game wild card match up the A’s have a punchers chance to  continue to defy the baseball gods.

Then there is Cleveland.  There they quietly sit by the lake the city was founded on.   The Indians have a starting pitching staff that is very dangerous in a first round, five game max, divisional playoff.  They’ll have to win one in Houston to win three of five. They certainly can.   Houston has only been above average at home, but excellent on the road.  Coin flip anyone?

And, then there are the Tampa Rays, winners of not less than 87 games.  They’ll sit home this post season.  They have tons of young players yet finished 20-9 at home v. the five playoff teams and were only eliminated officially a couple of days back.  They are very deserving of an honorable mention.

And to think the AL was called the Junior League for many, many years.

Meanwhile over on the Senior Circuit as it was called for many, many years, the National League is filled with drama.

Atlanta has clinched their division but will not have home field past round one.  They are an exciting team to watch.  They are young and they play aggressive and loose.  That’s a good combination.  It might be a year too soon for this team that gutted their organization, a la the Astros five years ago, to stash draft picks and prospects.  The payoff is coming soon however.

Now to the quagmire.  Five other teams will fill the remaining four playoff spots available in the next five days.  The possibilites are far too great to list.  The Cubs, Brewers, Dodgers, Rockies, and Cardinals (in that order of win/loss percentage) are separated by just a game or two.  One of Chicago and Milwaukee is in as the division winner.  One of Los Angeles and Colorado is as well.  Going into last night there was even a scenario that four of these five could end with identical records.   Try untying that pretzel.

On paper (a too often used term that never pans out) the Dodgers and the Cubs have the bigger payroll that usually equates to the better talent.  Usually.  It hasn’t yet distinguished itself.  Expected the unexpected.

The Rockies and Brewers are sneaky good.  Just a hunch.

Are you feeling warm on your forehead yet?  Did all of the numbers make you dizzy? You caught the fever.  Take it easy in your recovery.  Recline in your La-Z-Boy and watch it all unfold.