![[SPORTS] ALDS AND NLDS PREDICTIONS: WHO’S MOVING ON?](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8051-1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Plenty of Intrigue Heading Into Division Series Matchups
With ALDS and NLDS field set for October after the AL and NL Wildcard games, it’s prediction time!
On the NL side The Colorado Rockies will try to continue their upset trail by knocking out the NL’s top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers. That’ll be a tough task going up against NL MVP candidate Christian Yelich and soaring Brewers team.
The Los Angeles Dodgers getting to the postseason wasn’t a pretty adventure but the team got it done in 2018 and now get a young but hungry Braves team ready to make their mark.
On the AL side, familiar faces. Each of these four teams were in the ALDS last season but the matchups have changed.
The Houston Astros will try to stave off a Cleveland Indians team who’s built for success with their rotation and has one of the scariest offensive lineups in baseball.
The Boston Red Sox, meanwhile, have a date with the New York Yankees in the ALDS as it’s the first postseason matchup between the two stories franchises since 2004.
So who’s going to the advance to the Championship Series? Only one way to find out.
Let’s begin!
NLDS
Colorado Rockies vs Milwaukee Brewers
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies got to the postseason on the strength of a high-scoring offense that finished second in the NL this past season, but they won for an entirely different reason in the NL Wildcard game.
Playing in third different time zone for a third consecutive day, the Colorado Rockies were led by a strong outing by left-hander Kyle Freeland and a shutdown effort by Scott Oberg and the bullpen.
Colorado Rockies’ catcher Tony Wolters played the role of unlikely hero as his RBI single with two outs in the 13th inning was the game-winning hit in a 2-1 victory.
The Rockies face a much more different challenge in the Milwaukee Brewers, who have won 24 out their past 32 games and won eight consecutive games.
Milwaukee went 51-30 at Miller Park this season, the best home mark in the NL this season. Milwaukee has a significant edge over Colorado if it comes down to the bullpens as evident by their 33-19 record in one-run games in 2018.
Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story are a formidable trio of hitters capable of carrying an offense for extended stretches. With that said, they’ll be facing a team with the depth in arms as well as the depth in hitting to offset their impact in a short series.
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers in 3
Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Photo by Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports
Brian Snitker’s Atlanta Braves were one of the highlights of the 2018 season. The Braves won the NL East this season, but enter as a team with the deck stacked against them.
Not only are the Braves the youngest team in the MLB playoffs, they also are going up against a Dodgers team that had the highest scoring offense in the NL this season.
While that offense is capable of disappearing due to their propensity to strikeout (8th in MLB), the Braves aren’t a team that relies on the strikeout to get hitters out.
The starting pitching matchups favor the Los Angeles Dodgers and so does the fact that Los Angeles has far more scoring prowess than the Braves, who went 21-26 vs LHP and will have to face three of them in the NLDS to begin the series.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers in 4
ALDS
Cleveland Indians vs Houston Astros
Photo by Getty Images
The Houston Astros title defense begins with a team that unlike the other two teams in the ALDS have the starting pitching to match the Astros in the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians will throw Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco at Houston. The problem for the Indians, however, is their bullpen.
No longer are the 1-2 punch of Cody Allen and Andrew Miller a dominant pairing late in games. Miller finished the season with a 4.24 ERA while former closer Cody Allen finished with a 4.70 ERA this season and lost his job to left-hander Brad Hand.
The problems extend beyond Miller and Allen. Against a team that has a flare for the dramatic late in games. The Houston Astros finished 4th in the MLB in runs scored from the eighth inning on (190).
The Cleveland Indians finished 26th in the MLB in runs allowed from the eighth inning on (171). This is all to say that when we get past the great pitching matchups, this may be the key factor in a close series.
The Cleveland Indians offense that finished 3rd in the MLB in runs scored (818) is potent and scary, that alone makes this series worth the price of admission.
Prediction: Houston Astros in 5
New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
We see them on our television screens for what seems like 95% of the nationally televised games each season, and now we get quite a treat in what is likely to be remembered as the premier matchup of the MLB postseason.
The Boston Red Sox are statistically the best offensive team in the MLB as they led the MLB in runs with 876 during the regular-season. They led the MLB in batting average (.268), extra base-hits (594), SLG (.453) and OPS (.792).
Those are a enough reasons as to why Boston will hand their bitter rivals a bitter ALDS series defeat, but why should we be pessimistic?
The Boston Red Sox rotation for a third consecutive postseason is question mark. Now arguably the best left-hander in all of baseball, Chris Sale, is apart of those question marks that include a rotation that finished as Sale looked unlike himself mechanically in a playoff tuneup vs the Baltimore Orioles last week.
Sale’s fastball velocity was noticeably low, sitting at 90 MPH for four plus innings vs the Orioles. That’s a worrying concern for Boston as the Game 1 starter for this series and the undisputed ace of the staff has mechanical issues ahead of facing the Bombers.
The New York Yankees shattered the 2001 Seattle Mariners home run record in 2018 with 267 and there’s the very realistic possibility that New York’s offense can make Fenway Park look smaller than other teams can.
Also in their favor is a decided edge over Boston when it comes to the bullpens. New York’s reliability and dependability in its bullpen has provided them with a winning formula that can mask its deficiencies in starting pitching.
The question becomes for New York, can your starting rotation produce enough to not burn through the bullpen? Considering it’s a short series, the answer is yes.
Prediction: New York Yankees in 5
What are your thoughts on the Division Series matchups this postseason? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] JUDGE, YANKEES OUST ATHLETICS; WILL FACE RED SOX IN ALDS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8044-1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 4, 2018 | SPORTS
Yankees Win AL Wildcard Game For Second Consecutive Season
Looking past the challenge that stood in front of them wasn’t an option for Aaron Boone’s Yankees.
Leaning on what got them here, they’ll be playing on in October in pursuit of a 28th world title.
The New York Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to advance to the ALDS.
The New York Yankees finished the regular-season 100-62, but a 100 win season would’ve been all for naught had the pinstripers allowed the underdog Athletics to take over New York tonight.
Behind their high-scoring power hitting offense and power pitching out of the bullpen, the New York Yankees for a second consecutive season won an AL Wildcard game in the Bronx.
Aaron Judge would hit a two-run home run off reliever Liam Hendricks to give the New York Yankees a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Judge’s no doubter would shake an already electric atmosphere at Yankee Stadium to its core and give starter Luis Severino breathing room to begin.
Severino — who has a disastrous AL Wildcard game start last season vs the Minnesota Twins — bounced back in a second go in the Yankees do-or-die affair to begin the postseason.
Severino would allow only two base runners over the first three innings, striking out six in that span.
He would escape a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning after striking out shortstop Marcus Seiman to end the inning, causing Yankee Stadium to explode as New York preserved a 2-0 lead.
The Yankees 24 year-old starter would be relieved in the fifth inning by right-hander Dellin Betances after giving up a pair of singles to begin the inning.
The Yankees big right-hander would come in and do the job for the Yankees, retiring the Athletics next three batters which included a strikeout of MLB home run king Khris Davis to end the inning.
Bob Melvin, who went with a unconventional approach of starting a reliever in Liam Hendricks, would see his team run into trouble in the sixth inning.
The Yankees would breakthrough with four runs in the sixth inning as rookie first baseman Luke Voit, playing in his first career playoff game, highlighted the inning with a two-run RBI triple off closer Blake Treinen that scored Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton to make it a 6-0 game.
Giancarlo Stanton, also playing in his first career playoff game, would continue to bring thunder to Yankee Stadium with a homer off Blake Treinen in the eighth inning to make it a 7-2 game.
New York Yankees’ reliever Zach Britton would cough up two runs on a two-run homer to designated hitter Khris Davis to put the Athletics on the board, but that would be all for Oakland on the night.
Little offensive production could be found for an Athletics team that throughout the second half of the season continuously found a way to win.
Aroldis Chapman would come in and get the final three outs of the ninth inning, giving up a hit while striking out two as the Yankees clinched a ALDS birth.
The Yankees bullpen sans Zach Britton would allow only one base runner over four innings while striking out five.
The Oakland Athletics finished the game 0-for-6 with RISP while leaving nine men on base as they saw their season come to an end.
The Oakland Athletics season was a Cinderella that saw them rise from the bottom of the division to at one point in mid-August tie the defending champion Houston Astros for first in the AL West.
A team that was 34-36 on June 15th would finish the season 63-29, the best mark in the MLB. That’s an even better mark than the Boston Red Sox, who finished the season with a franchise record and MLB-leading 108 wins.
While a disappointing finish, 2019 offers yet another opportunity for a team that fell on hard times over the previous three seasons to continue a winning foundation built in 2018.
For the New York Yankees, a matchup with their hated rival Boston Red Sox in the ALDS needs little explanation when discussing the magnitude of the series.
If the ‘We Want Boston’ chants from the Yankees faithful tonight throughout the later part of the game doesn’t illustrate the significance this rivalry has taken on once again, little will.
These are two franchises with new faces but the same dislike for each other that’s existed for well over 100 years.
This will be the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox first playoff matchup since the 2004 ALCS where the Boston Red Sox improbably erased a 0-3 series deficit vs New York to stun the baseball world by winning the series in seven games.
The New York Yankees are steaming about losing the AL East to the Boston Red Sox and will look to play giant killer by eliminating Red Sox who finished with the MLB’s best mark at 108-54.
What are your thoughts about the New York Yankees AL Wildcard win? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] HEADLINES FOR THURSDAY’S INDIANAPOLIS COLTS-NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MATCHUP](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8041-1-4.jpg?resize=850%2C556&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 3, 2018 | SPORTS
Luck And Colts Looking To End Drought vs New England
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will look to make it two in a row when they host the Indianapolis Colts in Thursday night.
The Patriots have dominated this series of late, winning the past seven matchups. Andrew Luck has struggled in his career vs Bill Belichick’s club as he’s gone winless in five career starts while throwing 10 interceptions.
It’s a trend that’s expected to continue at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Sportsbook, which lists New England as -10 favorites.
Before the Week 5 matchup, we’ll take a look at three headlines heading into this AFC battle between two teams still trying to find their footing.
Let’s get started.
Julian Edelman Returns For The Patriots
The New England Patriots are welcoming back a player they missed dearly during the first four games of the season.
New England Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman will return vs the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday after a four-game suspension to begin the season.
Edelman missed all of last season for the Patriots with a torn ACL. Knowing that, it would be a surprise for the long-time Patriot to simply produce at the rate he has over the past four seasons as Brady’s security blanket.
With Gronkowski listed as questionable with an ankle injury he re-injured last Sunday, keep an eye on Edelman’s snap count which may be higher than would usual be the case under these circumstances.
Will Andrew Luck Build Off Strong Start?
Andrew Luck was forced to pry the Colts back from a double digit deficit vs the Houston Texans defense last Sunday and he did just that even while missing top target T.Y. Hilton (hamstring) for most of the game.
Luck, who came into the game averaging 5.43 yards per completion, well under his career average, had a vintage performance in rallying the Colts back to send the game into overtime.
In a high octane shootout, Andrew Luck threw for a career-high 464 passing yards to go along with 4 TDs in a 37-34 OT loss to the Houston Texans.
Luck averaged 7.48 yards per completion in the game, his season high to this point and right around his career average of 7.1.
He doesn’t have a favorable matchup vs a New England Patriots team allowing 155.5 passing yards per game at Gillette Stadium this season. It also doesn’t help that T.Y. Hilton has been ruled out for the Thursday night tilt.
Will Colts Front Seven Make It A Game?
As mentioned previously, Indianapolis’ pass offense is sure to face some resistance in New England vs a defense that won’t have to worry about T.Y. Hilton demanding double teams.
This game thus comes down to Indianapolis’ defense stepping up to the task on a short week vs a Patriots offense expected to roll.
How can they do it? The Indianapolis Colts are surprisingly 2nd in the NFL in sacks with 17 in the first four weeks. Indianapolis Colts linebackers Darius Leonard and Jabaal Sheard as well as defensive ends Margus Hunt, Denice Autry and Jihad Ward have to play their best game of the season in order for Indianapolis to pull the upset.
These players have collected 14 of Indianapolis’ 17 sacks this season and that number will need to increase combined with pressure up the middle to disrupt New England’s offense on Thursday night.
What are your thoughts on Thursday night’s game in New England? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] UFC 229 MAIN CARD/PRELIMS PREDICTIONS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_7991-1-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 3, 2018 | SPORTS
Who Will Win The Super-Fight Between Khabib and McGregor?
Are you ready to be entertained?
A UFC grudge match between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division champion Conor McGregor is on this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena.
It’s a matchup years in the making that escalated this past March when Conor McGregor threw a dolly through a glass window of a UFC travel bus that contained Khabib Nurmagomedov on it ahead of the UFC’s Brooklyn event.
Now, there’s no more talking. Who will win?
Here are my predictions for the UFC’s biggest PPV extravaganza in years.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (-155) vs Conor McGregor (+125)
What’s being called the UFC’s biggest fight ever takes place on Saturday night when Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his UFC lightweight title vs Conor McGregor in a huge grudge match.
This is going to be Conor MgGregor’s first UFC fight since November 2016, nearly two years ago. His opponent is a man he’s developed a true bad blood rivalry with in Khabib Nurmagomedov.
With so many ways to pick the fight apart, one thing that’s become very clear is the significant advantage each holds over each other in different aspects of the fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0, 10 UFC) holds a alarmingly high advantage over Conor McGrefor, particularly if the fight gets to the ground.
Going back to his early MMA days McGregor has shown vulnerability when on his back, suffering submission losses early to Joseph Duffy and Artemij Sitenkov.
While McGregor has likely cleaned up his ground game from then, we all saw him look rather defenseless fighting off his back vs Chad Mendes back in 2015.
Mendes has success in establishing dominant positions while punishing McGregor, but seemed to gas out with the toll and pace McGregor has applied early in the fight as well as taking the fight in short notice.
Mendes is an excellent wrestler and grappler, but not quite like ‘The Eagle’, who has run over everyone put in front of him for a staggering 26-0 MMA mark.
McGregor (19-3, 9-1 UFC) has shown solid takedown defense against the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Nate Diaz, two fighters albeit aren’t purely wrestling oriented fighters.
The concern for McGregor is if Khabib Nurmagomedov can accomplish such wrestling dominance as he did vs top lightweights like Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson, Al Iaquinta, and Rafael Dos Anjos, what does that mean for McGregor if he doesn’t predictably connect on the chin of a fighter susceptible and open for shots?
It doesn’t bode well for McGregor, who has faded in fights vs a pressure fighting style before in Nate Diaz.
As for the concern for Khabib Nurmagomedov, as mentioned, the AKA standout is susceptible to getting hit by McGregor due to his poor technique and fundamentals in terms of going backwards with his chin up and exposed.
We saw this be an issue for Nurmagomedov as recent as his last fight back in March when he disposed of short notice challenger Al Iaquinta to win a vacated UFC lightweight title that was held previously by an inactive Conor McGregor.
Iaquinta with faints and being a come forward fighter at times got Nurmagomedov to slide backwards with his hands up but his left hand low and his chin up in the air.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is not terribly off balance when he makes this error. Unfortunately, against a pure striker that combines punching power and accuracy with a high fighting IQ like Conor McGregor’s, that a bad omen if Nurmagomedov doesn’t close the distance.
Closing the distance will come with a added risk, but Nurmagomedov offers himself little chance of winning this super-fight by trying to stand in the middle of the octagon with McGregor or fighting a distance battle.
McGregor’s timing and accuracy could be problematic for Nurmagomedov who doesn’t possess the standup ability to threaten the Irish superstar enough to make him honest.
As for my prediction, we’ve seen McGregor pick up victories over Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, Dustin Poirer, and Eddie Alvarez, but he’s not bulletproof as much as people analyzing seem to be trying to relay to the public.
You’re probably saying, ‘Of course, not but neither is his opponent’. That is true, but McGregor has not fought in the octagon in two years and his glaring weaknesses in grappling/wrestling as well as his cardio are a nightmare for a fighter who’s gameplan to not get hit tend to sound better than not getting taken down by and punished by arguably the UFC’s best in the business at doing it.
Prediction: Khabib Nurmagomedov by Round 5 SUB
Rest of Main Card
Tony Ferguson (-350) vs Anthony Pettis (+275)
Tony Ferguson has not lost since dropping a unanimous decision to Michael Johnson in May 2012. He’s getting it done as a durable and higher altitude mixed martial artist capable of still coming forward no matter what he’s hit with.
This matchup, however, is dangerous for one of the most well-versed and complete fighters in the MMA. Anthony Pettis is still an outstanding striker and doesn’t have his Jiu-Jitsu credited enough.
In a fight where both fighters have great chins and can likely match each-other on the ground, this could be Pettis tactical masterpiece vs Tony Ferguson’s aggressive in your face style. Grab your popcorn for this one!
Prediction: Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision
Ovince Saint Preux (+175) vs Dominick Reyes (-225)
Ovince Saint Preux has won four out of his last five fights, but will be faced with a tall task against Dominick Reyes, who is coming off a 1st-Round KO victory vs Jared Cannonier back in May.
What could be a determining factor is Saint Preaux’s perceived advantage in the grappling department. Saint Preaux has finished seven career fights by submission and has a strong top game once on the ground.
Prediction: Ovince Saint Preaux by Round 2 SUB
Derrick Lewis (+150) vs Alexander Volkov (-185)
Derrick Lewis is pure gold with his mouth as well as his hands. The Houston native has a knack for sending fans home happy with his brawling style, but he may not be able to get home vs a long and lengthy Russian in Alexander Volkov.
Volkov showed us in his last fight vs Fabricio Werdum that he can beat one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time. Ever so close to a title shot, ‘Drago’ uses his ground game to further expose the weaknesses Derrick Lewis has there, who is too comfortable fighting off his back.
Prediction Alexander Volkov by Round 2 KO
Michelle Waterson (+100) vs Felice Herrig (-130)
Michelle Waterson is always in a exciting fight and this in all likelihood will be another one given her opponent Felice Herrig’s aggressive style.
What Waterson has in her back pocket is her submission skills if the fight goes to the ground as well as a solid top game. Look for Waterson to get a hard-fought win here.
Prediction: Michelle Waterson by split-decision
Prelims
Sergio Pettis vs Jussier Da Silva
Sergio Pettis by unanimous decision
Vicente Luque vs Jalin Turner
Vicente Luque by Round 2 KO
Tonya Evinger vs Aspen Ladd
Tonya Evinger by unanimous decision
Yana Kunitskaya vs Lina Lansberg
Yana Kunitskaya by Round 2 KO
Alan Patrick Silva Alves vs Scott Holtzman
Scott Holtzman by unanimous decision
Gray Maynard vs Nik Lentz
Gray Maynard by unanimous decision
Ryan LaFlare vs Tony Martin
Ryan LaFlare by Round 1 KO
![[SPORTS] WOLTERS HEROICS HELP ROCKIES STUN CUBS, ADVANCE TO NLDS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8036-1-2.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 3, 2018 | SPORTS
Rockies Outlast Cubs In Marathon To Advance to NLDS
The MLB postseason gives every player who has an opportunity to step on the field a chance to be a hero.
An unlikely one emerged for the Colorado Rockies in the form of Tony Wolters.
The Colorado Rockies defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in 13 innings on Tuesday at Wrigley Field in the NL Wildcard game to advance to the NLDS.
Not known for their pitching, it’s what got the Colorado Rockies over the hump in a NL Wildcard game do-over from a season ago where pitching was their downfall in the game.
What everyone will remember about the 2018 NL Wildcard game, however, is a backup catcher in Tony Wolters delivering the game-winning RBI in the 13th inning to help send the Rockies to the NLDS for the first time since 2009.
Wolters, who coming in had less than 200 ABs in his MLB career, recorded a RBI single off Chicago Cubs’ starter Kyle Hendricks with two outs.
Just a .170 hitter in 2018, Wolters hit in the 13th was symbolic for a team fighting the odds having to play in a third different time zone for a third consecutive day.
The Colorado Rockies went 1-for-10 with RISP and throughout the night could not hit with runners on, at one point going 0-for-17 with runners on.
None of that will matter moving forward for the Rockies as they are playing on while the Chicago Cubs season ended in heartbreak.
The Colorado Rockies got off to a strong start vs veteran left-hander Jon Lester.
After a lead-off walk by center fielder Charlie Blackmon and a double by second baseman DJ Lemahieu, the Rockies would jump out 1-0 lead after a RBI sacrifice fly by third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Kyle Freeland, making his first career playoff start, would put a runner on to begin the first and second innings but would escape with the Rockies still nursing their lead.
Jon Lester would settle in vs the high-scoring Colorado Rockies after giving up a run in the first inning, retiring 14 out the next 16 batters to face him.
Making his 22nd career playoff series, Lester would finish a start that started shaky with one of his best postseason starts of his 13-year career.
The durable left-hander would finish the game allowing one run on four hits while walking one and striking out nine over six innings of work.
Lester’s gritty and determined performance fired up a Chicago Cubs crowd that had improbably found themselves cheering for their team in a win or go home NL Wildcard game.
A sellout crowd at Wrigley Field was left to be restless by a Cubs offense that in the month of September fell off the pace they had set throughout most of the regular-season.
Kyle Freeland had a lot to do with the unrest at the ballpark on the Northside of Chicago on Monday night.
Freeland, despite Lester’s best efforts to stymie the Rockies offense, would cruise against a Chicago Cubs offense that was pressing in a pressure filled game where each out brings a team closer to the end of their season.
The Cubs, with only two hits through the first five innings, would have an opportunity gift wrapped to them in the sixth inning after right fielder David Dahl horribly misplayed a ball running towards the right-field line.
Dahl would lose his balance running after a one-out Kris Bryant flyball and allow the ball to fall in fair play. The umpires would make a questionable ruling giving Bryant a hit on a play that briefly gave the Cubs momentum with two men on base after pinch-hitter Ian Hall opened the inning with a walk.
That momentum would end quickly after a first pitch swinging ground ball double play by first baseman Anthony Rizzo which would end the inning, preserving Colorado’s slim 1-0 lead.
Following a sensational one-out diving grab by Colorado Rockies’ shortstop Trevor Story to rob second baseman Daniel Murphy of a hit, Freeland would depart the game after six and two-thirds innings of work. Freeland would hold the Cubs to four hits and a walk while striking out six.
He would leave a drama filled inning in which he would be replaced by right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino.
With a man already on after a lead off hit by center fielder Albert Almora Jr. off Kyle Freeland to begin the inning, Ottavino got himself into a major jam after walking catcher Wilson Contreras and then having his own catcher, Drew Butera, interfere on a 2-1 chopper by pinch-hitter Tommy LaStella that would result in the bases being loaded on a error.
Facing off against pinch-hitter Jason Heyward with the bases loaded, Ottavino would get Heyward swinging on a 2-2 fastball down and away to end a frantic inning as the Rockies dodged a bullet.
Taking the ball again to begin the bottom of the eighth inning with a clean slate, Ottavino would retire the first two batters of the inning before giving up a line drive single to Anthony Rizzo with two-outs.
That would prove costly as the Chicago Cubs would tie the game at 1-1 on a RBI double by second baseman Javier Baez, scoring pinch-runner Terence Gore after Gore stoke second base during the at-bat.
A euphoric Wrigley Field exploded after the huge game-tying hit by the Cubs RBI leader this season.
The Cubs would be unable to capitalize further as closer Wade Davis, relieving Ottavino, would strike out Albert Almora Jr. to end the inning.
The game would move into extra innings after the Cubs and Rockies stranding runners in the ninth inning.
Joe Maddon would turn to starter Cole Hamels in extra innings as Hamels cruised through the 10th inning before finding trouble in the 11th inning after loading the bases.
He would get David Dahl to ground out to first to end the inning, extending Colorado’s woes with runners on base.
The Chicago Cubs would open the bottom of the 11th with a walk by Javier Baez followed by a bunt by Albert Almora Jr. to advance him. After walking Daniel Murphy, Wilson Contreras would face reliever Seunghwan Oh, who came in to start the 10th inning.
Chicago would squander their opportunity to end the game with a runner on second as they Contreras would hit into a groundball to third and pinch-hitter Victor Caranti grounded out to first to end the inning vs reliever Chris Rusin.
Joe Maddon continued to go to his very best resources as he went with reliever Justin Wilson for one out before going to starter Kyle Hendricks out of the bullpen in the 12th inning where Hendricks would record the final two outs.
Bud Black would continue to match wits with Maddon as he would get strong relief efforts by Chris Rusin and Scott Oberg, who struck out Kris Bryant to end the inning, to extend the game to a 13th inning.
An unexpected hero would emerge for the Colorado Rockies in the 13th inning.
After a Gerardo Parra single got Trevor Story to third base with two outs, catcher Tony Wolters — who batted only .170 this season — would give the Rockies a 2-1 lead on a two-out single to center-field to silence a stunned Wrigley Field.
The bottom of the 13th would begin with drama as Bud Black would challenge that center fielder Terrence Gore was hit with a 2-2 pitch that ended up hitting the home plate umpire Chris Guccione.
The play would be reversed and Gore would be retired by reliever Scott Oberg via strikeout as the at-bat resumed. Oberg would go strikeout Javier Baez on a high fastball to get down to the final out where he would strikeout Albert Almora Jr. for the final out to give the underdog Rockies a colossal victory.
The Chicago Cubs held a five game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers to begin the month of September.
Inconsistent play and a red-hot Brewers team that rides a 8-game winning streak into the postseason would be the Cubs undoing.
The Brewers didn’t end the Cubs season on Monday afternoon at Wrigley but they might’ve taken a piece of the Chicago Cubs psych heading into an unprecedented 10th consecutive game without a day off.
The Cubs looked lethargic at times and their inability to score runs for a second consecutive game of monumental importance, this a do-or-die affair, showed the team had no business moving on to the NLDS in 2018.
The Chicago Cubs went 1-for-6 with RISP while leaving 10 men on base. The Cubs went 6-for-43 as a team, getting zero production from the bottom of the order.
In a tough spot to be certain, Kyle Hendrick’s nightmare 13th inning cannot be chalked up anymore than him simply dropping the ball for the Cubs as he allowed three straight two-out hits to allow the Rockies to take a 2-1 lead.
It’ll be a long offseason ahead for Joe Maddon’s Chicago Cubs, who coming into the season were pegged by many sports analyst as a World Series favorite.
Meanwhile, a resilient but road wary Colorado Rockies will be going up against a Milwaukee Brewers team in the NLDS that has gone 24-8 over their last 32 games of the regular-season and have won eight consecutive games.
The Colorado Rockies went 2-5 vs the Milwaukee Brewers this season with Craig Counsell’s team taking both series during the regular-season.
Whether Bud Black’s team can translate a stunning NL Wildcard win into further postseason success will be answered in the NLDS vs another NL Central power in what should be an exciting series.
What are your thoughts on the Colorado Rockies NL Wildcard game victory? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO AND SIJARA EUBANKS TO HEADLINE UFC 230](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8021.jpg?resize=1000%2C600&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 2, 2018 | SPORTS
Women’s Flyweight Title Fight Set For MSG
The UFC has a main event for UFC 230, just not the one everyone would’ve expected for the bright lights of New York City.
The UFC announced on Monday that a UFC women’s flyweight title showdown between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks will headline UFC 230 next month.
Valentina Shevchenko (15-3, 4-2 UFC) was set for a matchup with then UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montaño (4-2, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 228 last month. Montaño would pull out of the fight the day of the weigh-ins as she was rushed to the hospital for weight cutting issues.
Montaño would be stripped of the title by the UFC on the very same day and a fight between Valentina Shevchenko and former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacated women’s flyweight title would be announced for the UFC 231 PPV event in December.
Desperate for a main event, the UFC has scraped those plans and with Jedrzejczyk not ready, went with the former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ contestant Sijara Eubanks.
Eubanks defeated Maia Kahaunaele-Stevenson, DeAnna Bennett and Roxanne Modaferi to advance to the finals of the show last year but would have to withdraw due to missing weight before the ‘TUF 26’ finale.
Eubanks (3-2, 1-0 UFC) defeated UFC veteran Lauren Murphy in a dominant unanimous decision victory back in June of this year.
Valentina Shevchenko, meanwhile, last fought back in February where she dominated Priscila Cachoeira in a lopsided 2nd-Round submission win.
She holds notable wins over former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm, Julianna Peña, and Sarah Kaufman.
The process of finding an actual main event of a loaded card has been stagnated by a number injuries and fighters not being ready to compete physically.
Last month it was rumored that UFC welterweight king Tyron Woodley could’ve been ready for a fifth consecutive title defense vs top welterweight contender and now rival Colby Covington.
The fight would fall apart as Woodley opted to have hand surgery that could sideline him for the rest of 2018.
There were rumblings about co-main eventers Dustin Poirer and Nate Diaz fighting for a uncreated 165-pound title. UFC President Dana White quickly buried those ideas pitched by both fighters.
With the UFC 230 card featuring a number of barnburners such as Poirer-Diaz, Weidman-Rockhold II and Brunson-Adesanya, it’s not a huge blow to the UFC to book a main event absolutely no one cares about.
What are your thoughts on UFC 230’s main event? Leave your comments below!
