AL Wildcard Series Summary
Thanks to Steve (Minnesota) for the write-up.
The Minnesota Nice beat the Alabama Braves four games to one in the inaugural AL wild card matchup.
Outside of an 8-run outburst in game 3 the formidable Alabama lineup failed to put runs on the board, totaling 4 runs in the other four games.
I’ll go with Ryan Sweeney as the series MVP, as his .632 OBP seemed to put him in the middle of every big rally.
Game 1 – Alabama (Harden) @ Minnesota (Mussina)
David Wright starts the series with an error, putting Nate McLouth on. With two outs Mussina (due to his “issues” with good right-handed hitters) is ordered to issue a rare first inning intentional walk to Jason Bay. He strikes out Prince Fielder to end the inning.
No scoring for either team until the bottom of the 5th. Jayson Werth opens with an infield single and steals 2nd with 2 outs. Harden then walks three of the next four hitters, with a Wright infield single in between. So the Nice score two without a hit to the outfield.
The Braves comes right back, doing it the quick way. With two outs Fielder singles, then Aramis Ramirez pulls a blast to left to tie it.
The Nice retake the lead in the bottom of the 6th, on Ryan Sweeney’s bases loaded two-run single. The tough Minnesota bullpen takes over, and Chris Iannetta adds a solo shot to make the final 5-2.
Minnesota 1 Alabama 0
Game 2 – Alabama (Hudson) @ Minnesota (Beckett)
Both starters are on today, though Hudson has to escape a bases loaded jam in the 2nd. A couple of the Alabama big boys (Fielder and Lance Berkman) triple in the 4th to put the Braves on the board. Another triple by James Loney of the Nice ties it in the 6th.
The first two Braves hitters single in the top of the eighth, chasing Beckett. Joey Devine escapes, striking out Berkman with the bases loaded.
Hideki Okajima relieves Hudson in the 9th, and Asdrubal Cabrera greets him with a double. Sweeney bunts him over, and Scott Linebrink takes over for Okajima. Linebrink gets Ramon Santiago to ground out to a pulled in infield, but Wright grounds a two-out single to left to win it for the Nice 2-1.
Minnesota 2 Alabama 0
Game 3 – Minnesota (Marcum) @ Alabama (Oswalt)
This game has a different tone, as both starters struggle from the beginning. Bay opens the scoring for Alabama with a two-run homer in the 1st. Iannetta and McLouth both hit solo shots in the 2nd to make it 3-1. A two-run single by Troy Tulowitzki ties it in the top of the 4th, but the Braves immediately reclaim the two-run lead on a run-scoring triple by Jose Reyes followed by a Nick Markakis single. That brings in Minnesota long reliever Robinson Tejada.
Another triple, this one by Werth in the 5th, makes it 5-4 and brings in John Smoltz for Alabama. He gives up the game-tying single to Cabrera.
Tejada and Smoltz calm things down and the score remains 5-5 until the bottom of the 7th.
Jose Arrendondo comes in for the bottom of the 7th and immediately gives up a walk to Berkman and a home run to Bay. Frank Francisco gives up another Braves run in the 8th, making the final 8-5. Alabama’s bullpen clearly outshone Minnesota’s in this game.
Minnesota 2 Alabama 1
Game 4 – Minnesota (Volstad) @ Alabama (McGowan)
Loney lines a double off McGowan to score Manny Ramirez and put the Nice up in the 1st. A two-run homer by Manny makes it 3-0 in the 3rd.
That’s more than Volstad needs, because if not having to deal with 3 errors by his fielders he wouldn’t have been threatened. He gives way to Scott Downs in the 7th. Alabama threatens in the 8th with men on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, but Devine comes in to retire pinch hitter Mike Fontenot, and then finishes the 3-0 win with a perfect 9th.
Minnesota 3 Alabama 1
Game 5 – Minnesota (Mussina) @ Alabama (Harden)
Both pitchers start strong, but Minnesota scratches out a run in the 3rd. Sweeney gets to 2nd with no outs, and the next two hitters bring him around with fly balls. Alabama ties it on a Markakis sac-fly in the 5th, following a Reyes triple. Sweeney scores again in the bottom of the 5th, this time on a Wright homer.
Harden makes it to the 9th, where he gives up a run on a Joe Inglett single. Wright drives in another run to make it 5-1.
It turns out that Reyes triple was the only hit Mussina gave up, and a little help from Downs in the 9th closed out the game and the series.
Minnesota 4 Alabama 1
The Minnesota Nice beat the Alabama Braves four games to one in the inaugural AL wild card matchup.
Outside of an 8-run outburst in game 3 the formidable Alabama lineup failed to put runs on the board, totaling 4 runs in the other four games.
I’ll go with Ryan Sweeney as the series MVP, as his .632 OBP seemed to put him in the middle of every big rally.
Game 1 – Alabama (Harden) @ Minnesota (Mussina)
David Wright starts the series with an error, putting Nate McLouth on. With two outs Mussina (due to his “issues” with good right-handed hitters) is ordered to issue a rare first inning intentional walk to Jason Bay. He strikes out Prince Fielder to end the inning.
No scoring for either team until the bottom of the 5th. Jayson Werth opens with an infield single and steals 2nd with 2 outs. Harden then walks three of the next four hitters, with a Wright infield single in between. So the Nice score two without a hit to the outfield.
The Braves comes right back, doing it the quick way. With two outs Fielder singles, then Aramis Ramirez pulls a blast to left to tie it.
The Nice retake the lead in the bottom of the 6th, on Ryan Sweeney’s bases loaded two-run single. The tough Minnesota bullpen takes over, and Chris Iannetta adds a solo shot to make the final 5-2.
Minnesota 1 Alabama 0
Game 2 – Alabama (Hudson) @ Minnesota (Beckett)
Both starters are on today, though Hudson has to escape a bases loaded jam in the 2nd. A couple of the Alabama big boys (Fielder and Lance Berkman) triple in the 4th to put the Braves on the board. Another triple by James Loney of the Nice ties it in the 6th.
The first two Braves hitters single in the top of the eighth, chasing Beckett. Joey Devine escapes, striking out Berkman with the bases loaded.
Hideki Okajima relieves Hudson in the 9th, and Asdrubal Cabrera greets him with a double. Sweeney bunts him over, and Scott Linebrink takes over for Okajima. Linebrink gets Ramon Santiago to ground out to a pulled in infield, but Wright grounds a two-out single to left to win it for the Nice 2-1.
Minnesota 2 Alabama 0
Game 3 – Minnesota (Marcum) @ Alabama (Oswalt)
This game has a different tone, as both starters struggle from the beginning. Bay opens the scoring for Alabama with a two-run homer in the 1st. Iannetta and McLouth both hit solo shots in the 2nd to make it 3-1. A two-run single by Troy Tulowitzki ties it in the top of the 4th, but the Braves immediately reclaim the two-run lead on a run-scoring triple by Jose Reyes followed by a Nick Markakis single. That brings in Minnesota long reliever Robinson Tejada.
Another triple, this one by Werth in the 5th, makes it 5-4 and brings in John Smoltz for Alabama. He gives up the game-tying single to Cabrera.
Tejada and Smoltz calm things down and the score remains 5-5 until the bottom of the 7th.
Jose Arrendondo comes in for the bottom of the 7th and immediately gives up a walk to Berkman and a home run to Bay. Frank Francisco gives up another Braves run in the 8th, making the final 8-5. Alabama’s bullpen clearly outshone Minnesota’s in this game.
Minnesota 2 Alabama 1
Game 4 – Minnesota (Volstad) @ Alabama (McGowan)
Loney lines a double off McGowan to score Manny Ramirez and put the Nice up in the 1st. A two-run homer by Manny makes it 3-0 in the 3rd.
That’s more than Volstad needs, because if not having to deal with 3 errors by his fielders he wouldn’t have been threatened. He gives way to Scott Downs in the 7th. Alabama threatens in the 8th with men on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, but Devine comes in to retire pinch hitter Mike Fontenot, and then finishes the 3-0 win with a perfect 9th.
Minnesota 3 Alabama 1
Game 5 – Minnesota (Mussina) @ Alabama (Harden)
Both pitchers start strong, but Minnesota scratches out a run in the 3rd. Sweeney gets to 2nd with no outs, and the next two hitters bring him around with fly balls. Alabama ties it on a Markakis sac-fly in the 5th, following a Reyes triple. Sweeney scores again in the bottom of the 5th, this time on a Wright homer.
Harden makes it to the 9th, where he gives up a run on a Joe Inglett single. Wright drives in another run to make it 5-1.
It turns out that Reyes triple was the only hit Mussina gave up, and a little help from Downs in the 9th closed out the game and the series.
Minnesota 4 Alabama 1
posted by robo at 5:38 PM
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