Hey hey, let’s give this a full run through on this site shall we?
The World Series is starting this Tuesday night! The Astros won a thrilling Game 7 by a score of 4-0, riding a fantastic tandem pitching performance from the duo of Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers Jr. After going down 3-2 in the series while in the Bronx, the Astros reevaluated their approach to the Yankees core of young hitters. A resurgent Justin Verlander dominated Game 6, and in Game 7 Morton and McCullers fed the Yankees a steady diet of curveballs. The end of the game saw McCullers throw 24 consecutive curveballs. The Yankees went home (though they really got nothing to be ashamed about as their redevotion to the farm system paid off earlier than planned). And the Astros will meet the Dodgers in Los Angeles for Game 1 in less than 48 hours. The first matchup of 100 win teams in more than 40 years. Should be a very exciting matchup!
What else is going on in baseball?
• The Nationals fired manager Dusty Baker. A somewhat surprising move after he lead the team to back to back division titles but also back to back first round exits. The Nationals remain unable to get out of the first round of the playoffs and will now look to solve that issue, as well as fix their ever leaky bullpen. No word yet on who they’re going to hire next, as several managerial candidates were quickly snapped off the market.
• The candidates already gone are Ron Gardenhire (going from Diamondbacks bench coach to Tigers manager), Alex Cora (going from Astros bench coach to Red Sox manager) and Mickey Callaway (going from Indians pitching coach to Mets manager). Cora and Callaway are first time big league managers, Gardenhire of course managed the Twins for over a decade. In addition to the Nationals, the Phillies are also still considering their options for a new manager at this time.
• Michael Brantley of the Indians underwent arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome ankle, a procedure that will keep him out 4-5 months. Brantley is waiting to hear if the Indians will pick up his $12 million option for 2018, when healthy he’s been a very effective player (he was an All-Star this season) but issues with his ankle and shoulder have resulted in him only playing 101 game from 2016-2017. Anibal Sanchez saw his 2018 option declined this past week after a disappointing past couple seasons which saw him go from a starter to a reliever and back again.
• Daniel Murphy of the Nationals underwent his own knee surgery for a microfracture injury. No timetable for his return was announced as of yet but his rehab is expected to begin as soon as he’s able to.
All righty, sound off in the comments. Let’s talk baseball, World Series predictions, your hopes, your expectations, let’s go for it.