Game 1 (NL 4, AL 3) – As soon as Clayton Kershaw was gone, Carlos Correa’s homer and Gary Sanchez rbi as part of a 2 of 3 days gave the NL a 2-1 lead and a 7-3 edge in hits through three innings that held up into the 7th inning.
However, a 2-run homer by the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo and solo shot by the Rockies Trevor Story rallied the NL in the 7th and 8th to take a dramatic 4-2 lead with Corey Knebel striking out the side in between for the win and the Cubs Brandon Morrow pitching through an error, walk and hit in the 9th for a dramatic opening game win.
Game 2 (NL 2, AL 1 in 12 innings) Brandon Morrow appeared ready to wrap up a Game 2 shutout when the NLs great defense (3b Arenado throwing a runner out at home, and Molina throwing Trout out stealing) was replaced with a dropped line drive at first base by Posey and a rare bobbled pitch by Molina to let a runner get to third who then scored an unearned run to force extra innings.
However, Herrera doubled in the top of the 12th and Parra’s sac fly to right clinched the series with a 2-1 12th inning run once Hendricks worked the 11th and 12th for a win as he induced Judge to ground into a double play to end the 11th and Altuve to strikeout to end the game.
Game 3 (AL 5, NL 2) Gary Sanchez was moved in front of Adrian Beltre in the lineup for Game 3 – and belted a homer-hitting after Yankees teammate Aaron Judge to spark the AL to salvage a game. Justin Verlander pitched three scoreless innings, and Mike Moustakas came off the bench to drive in two more runs for a 5-0 lead.
The NL did get to Ranger Alex Claudio to cut the lead to 5-2, but the Indians-Red Sox combo of Andrew Miller and Craig Kimbrel was once again shut down to get the Hold and the Save to salvage the final of the three games and actually give the AL the better run differential.
While the NL won the series on two cliffhangers, the AL not only had a 9-8 edge in run differential in the three-game series and destroyed the NL in the futures game 7-2 as Ohtani went three shut out innings for the win. Tampa’s Field hit two homers for 5 RBIs, and the Yankees Austin had two runs and doubles on a three of four day, and the White Sox Palka added a single and an RBI triple.
Here is the composite box for the All-Star Games:
| Pos | All-Start Line-Up | Team | AB | H | HR | RBI | R | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF | George Springer | Hou | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| SS | Carlos Correa | Hou | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| DH | Mike Trout | LA | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| RF | Aaron Judge | NY | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3B | Adrian Beltre | Tex | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| C | Gary Sanchez | NY | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Gm 3 HR in win | |
| 2B | Robinson Cano | Sea | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1B | Edwin Encarnacion | Cle | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| LF | Andrew Benintendi | Bos | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Pos | Reserves | Team | AB | H | HR | RBI | R | Notes | |
| 2B | Jose Altuve | Hou | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| SS | Jeimer Candelario | Det | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| C | Wellington Castillo | Chi | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| RF | Shin-Soo Choo | Tex | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| CF | Delino DeShields | Tex | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CF | Dustin Fowler | Oak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| RF | Avisail Garcia | Chi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1B | John Hicks | Det | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CF | Kevin Kiermaier | TB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3B | Francisco Lindor | Cle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3B-SS | Manny Machado | Bal | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| C | Russell Martin | Tor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1B | Joe Mauer | Min | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| LF | Whit Merrifield | KC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| SS | Mike Moustakas | KC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 RBI in Gm 3 win | |
| P-DH | Shohei Ohtani | LA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2B | Dustin Pedroia | Bos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |||
| Gm 1 | Corey Kluber | Cle | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Gm 2 | Shohei Ohtani | LAA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Gm 3 | Justin Verlander | Hou | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Gm 3 win |
| Alex Claudio | Tex | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | Gm 1 loss | |
| Dallas Keuchel | Hou | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Craig Kimbrel | Bos | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Gm 3 save | |
| Mike Leake | Sea | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Gm 2 loss | |
| Andrew Miller | Cle | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | Gm 3 hold | |
| Chris Sale | Bos | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Pos | AL All-Star Line-up | Team | AB | H | HR | RBI | R | Notes | |
| RF | Gerardo Parra | Col | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Gm 2 GW SF in 12th | |
| 2B | DJ LaMahieu | Col | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| DH | Joey Votto | Cin | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Gm 2 HR | |
| 1B | Cody Bellinger | LA | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 3B | Nolan Arenado | Col | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CF | Michael Conforto | NY | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| SS | Corey Seager | LA | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| LF | David Peralta | Arz | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| C | Yadier Molina | Stl | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Pos | Reserves | Team | AB | H | HR | RBI | R | Notes | |
| 2B-3B-1B | Matt Carpenter | Stl | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1B | Freddie Freeman | Atl | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2B | Scooter Gennett | Cin | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CF | Odubel Herrera | Phl | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12th in 2b, GW R Gm 2 | |
| CF | Ender Inciarte | Atl | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CF | Andrew McCutchen | SF | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CF | AJ Pollock | Arz | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| C | Buster Posey | SF | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | last 2 RBIs, rally short | |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo | Chi | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| SS | Trevor Story | Col | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1B | Ryan Zimmerman | Was | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Started | AL Pitchers | Team | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Gm 1 | Clayton Kershaw | LA | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Gm 2 | Chase Anderson | Mil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Gm 3 | Carlos Martinez | Stl | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Gm 3 Loss |
| Jake Arrieta | Phl | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Luis Castillo | Cin | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Josh Hader | Mil | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Brad Hand | SD | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Kyle Hendricks | Chi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Gm 2 W, 11th-12th | |
| Yoshihisa Hirano | Arz | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Raisel Iglesias | Cin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Corey Knebel | Mil | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Gm 2 Win | |
| Brandon Morrow | Chi | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | Gm 2 Save | |
| Hector Neris | Phl | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | G3 collapse | |
| Jose Urena | Mia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Felipe Vazquez | Pit | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
We are adding the NL Statis-Pro All-Stars atop the previously announced AL squad - and will play a best of 3 after a futures game:
NL All-Star Selections
Starters
C-Yadier Molina, Stl (this AL announced their decision not to steal or take any leads until he is replaced)
1B-Cody Bellinger, LA
2B-DJ LaMahieu, Col
SS-Corey Seager, LA
3B-Nolan Arenado, Col
LF-David Peralta, Arz
CF-Michael Conforto, NY
RF-Gerardo Parra, Col
Reserves
Matt Carpenter, Stl
AJ Pollock, Arz
Scooter Gennett, Cin
Joey Votto, Cin
Freddie Freeman, Atl
Ender Inciarte, Atl
Odubel Herrera, Phl
Andrew McCutchen, SF
Buster Posey, SF
Anthony Rizzo, Chi
Trevor Story, Col
Pitchers
Chase Anderson, Mil
Carlos Martinez, Stl
Clayton Kershaw, LA
Kyle Hendricks, Chi
Corey Knebel, Mil
Brandon Morrow, Chi
Yoshihisa Hirano, Arz
Josh Hader, Mil
Jake Arrieta, Phl
Luis Castillo, Cin
Raisel Iglesias, Cin
Jose Urena, Mia
Brad Hand, SD
Felipe Rivero, Pit
Hector Neris, Phl
The current standings.
Chicago 13-5
Milwaukee 12-6
Colorado 10-8
St. Louis 9-8
Washington 8-9
Los Angeles 7-10
Arizona 7-10
New York 7-11
Who's Hot (and headed to the All-Star Game)
No surprise that the leading offense produces the hottest bats.
In their last 18-games...(leading the league in hits)
Gerardo Parra (31-75, .413, 3 HR, 15 RBI)
DJ LaMahieu (31-79, .392, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 18 R)
Power leader comes from the Mets only bright spot
Michael Conforto last 15 games, (.300, 7 HR, 15 RBI)
Who's Not
Bryce Harper, last 17 games, (10-63, .159, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
Yoenis Cespedes, last 17 games (1 HR, 5 RBI)
Who's Hot (Pitchers)
Last 5 starts
Carlos Martinez, Stl. (4-0, 1.32)
Chase Anderson, Mil (4-0, 1.57)
Clayton Kershaw, LA (4-1, 2.19)
Kyle Hendricks, Chi (5-0, 3.33)
Who's Not
Zach Wheeler, NY (0-5, 5.46)
Hyun-jin Ryu, LA (0-4, 6.33)
AL All-Stars
The Statis-Pro AL All-Star team is finalized, and the top three stars of each of the first 100 games played to date are tracked on this google doc. This link features my preview of the actual season for each division, based on the best new Statis-Pro player cards with hitting, fielding and the best clutch defensive players. Those new players fill the 2018 rosters alongside the 2017 cards of returning players on 2018 rosters in Statis-Pro games (free version to play your own here). Updated standings through 36 games at the bottom.
| Starter | Position | 2nd string | 3rd string | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchez NY | 2-C | Castillo Chi | Martin Tor | ||
| Encarnacion Cle | 3-1b | Hicks Det | Mauer Min | ||
| Cano Sea | 4-2b | Altuve Hou | Pedroia Bos | ||
| Beltre Tex | 5-3b | Moustakas KC | Candelario Det | ||
| Correa Hou | 6-ss | Lindor Cle | Machado Bal | ||
| Benintendi Bos | 7-lf | Merrifield KC | (use a CF) | ||
| Springer Hou | 8-cf | Trout LA | DeShields Tex | Fowler Oak | Kiermaier TB |
| Judge NY | 9-rf | A Garcia Chi | Choo Tex | ||
| Kluber Cle | 1-P-right | Ohtani LA | Kimbrel Bos (Closer) | Verlander Hou | Leake Sea |
| (None, all relief) | 1-P-left | Sale Bos | Miller Cle (Set-up) | Keuchel Hou | Claudio TX |
| Ohtani LA, then pitch | 10-DH |
The Statis-Pro AL All-Star team is finalized. Keep in mind, we are playing the season using cards based on last year's stats (thus Tampa's awesome center fielder who also hit well last year has a very strong card and has done well in Statis-Pro play despite going through a terrible first half slump in the actual season). We also play the best players and ignore injuries or suspensions and based these selections on the limited 12-game stats in the game, and thus Seattle's Robinson Cano, who is actually serving an 80-game suspension, is selected first team for having better stats than the Astros Jose Altuve, who has a better card from last year.
The Astros, Yankees and Indians all have two starters. Keep in mind every team needs at least one of the 34 players, which threw a wrinkle into the selections when Steve Pearce appeared to be the Toronto Blue Jays rep until he was traded to the Red Sox - which worked out ok because Toronto's catch Russell Martin slid in as the 3rd team catcher after a solid season last year and strong start in Statis-Pro, even though like Kiermaier he has actually started out terribly this season.
One trick for managing the All-Star game with this team - Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani could either be the 2nd best right-handed pitcher on the team behind All-Star starter Corey Kluber (not counting Boston closer Craig Kimbrel), but he has also been the best Designated Hitter in the league. If he pitches AND hits then the AL loses the DH for the whole game. Because All-Star teams have a 34-man roster for just one game and can pinch hit every time the pitcher comes up, my plan is to have Kluber start and then let Ohtani pinch hit and come into pitch - using pinch hitters the rest of the game whenever the pitcher comes up since pitchers only pitch and inning or two in the All-Star game anyway.
Here are the standings to date. I was basing the All-Star selections on a system of picking the top three stars for each of the games played - which show up as 36 games because under my system each game counts as three games the winning team winning the "series" two games to one unless they win by at least five runs - in which case they are awarded a three games to none sweep. While a few teams still have a 2-game (worth 6 games) to play, I played until a point at which the 34-man roster would not change no matter what the results of the last few games. (Washington Nationals won 4 of 6 against the White Sox to push them behind the Indians (who face nearby Pittsburgh next) in the AL Central. This was the first interleague series played with the DH, and the other games listed below will be as well before the return to AL play.
| AL Team | W | L | GB | Win% | New Opponent | IF playoffs today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 25 | 11 | 0 | 0.694 | Milwaukee | AL West Pennant |
| New York | 23 | 13 | -2 | 0.639 | NY Mets | AL East Pennant |
| Boston | 21 | 15 | -4 | 0.583 | Cincinnati | Wild Card host |
| Chicago | 22 | 20 | -6 | 0.523 | Washington | |
| Cleveland | 20 | 16 | -5 | 0.556 | Pittsburgh | AL Central Pennant |
| Baltimore | 20 | 16 | -5 | 0.556 | Chicago Cubs | Wild Card visitor |
| Seattle | 19 | 17 | -6 | 0.528 | San Diego | |
| Kansas City | 17 | 19 | -8 | 0.472 | Atlanta | |
| Oakland | 16 | 20 | -9 | 0.444 | Colorado | |
| Minnesota | 14 | 22 | -11 | 0.389 | Philadelphia | |
| Los Angeles | 14 | 22 | -11 | 0.389 | Miami | |
| Tampa Bay | 14 | 22 | -11 | 0.389 | NL | |
| Texas | 14 | 22 | -11 | 0.389 | LA Dodgers | |
| Toronto | 13 | 23 | -12 | 0.361 | Arizona | |
| Detroit | 13 | 23 | -12 | 0.361 | San Francisco |
No comments:
Post a Comment