Month of MLB: Day Seventeen

The Brewers have absolutely dominated the Dodgers in the N.L.C.S., and last night was no exception.  A double from Will Smith gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead going into the seventh, and the Brewers responded with a walk and back-to-back home runs.  That was all Milwaukee needed, and the Brewers rolled to an easy 6-2 win.  Here are the totals after three games:

Milwaukee:  15 runs, 27 hits, 2 errors

Los Angeles:  7 runs, 15 hits, 2 errors

It's a complete mismatch.  The Brewers are plainly the best team in the National League, and they will likely wrap up their first pennant since 1982 tonight.

So, we turn our attention to Cleveland, where the locals will be hosting the Rays in a noon Central game today.  That's our best chance for drama now.

Month of MLB: Day Sixteen

These days, really good baseball teams just don't play that many important games.  The Brewers, Dodgers, and Rays have known for months that they were going to the playoffs, and none of them had too much trouble in the Divisional Series.  But now, after two games of the League Championship Series, they (along with Cleveland) are very close to winning the World Series -- but, of course, they are also very close to being eliminated.  Milwaukee, for example, has a 2-0 lead in the N.L.C.S., but the 1985 Dodgers could tell them that this means they are just a four-game losing streak from seeing their season come to an end.  Meanwhile, over in the American League, Cleveland and Tampa Bay are tied at one win each -- which means that they are basically playing a best-of-five series for the pennant.

Up to this point, the games themselves have been pretty dull, because most of the time there is very little scoring.  For that matter, there aren't often a lot of people on base.  The Brewers' bullpen has pitched 9 2/3 innings so far against the Dodgers, and the Dodgers have zero runs and only two hits.  But from this point on, even a game that's dull in and of itself will still carry some interest because we are so close to having a new champion.

Latest odds to win the World Series:

Milwaukee:  +110

Tampa Bay:  +320

Los Angeles:  +350

Cleveland:  +550

Since Tampa Bay and Cleveland are traveling today, the only game today will be Game Three of the N.L.C.S.:

7 P.M.:  Milwaukee at Los Angeles (Fox Sports One) (Milwaukee leads 2-0)

Month of MLB: Day Fifteen

Cleveland really surprised me yesterday -- they came roaring back from behind and pounded the Rays 7-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the A.L.C.S.

In 2016, the Cubs and the Indians played one of the great World Series of all time -- but since that year, no team from the NL Central or the AL Central has won the pennant.  That could change this year.  The Brewers are up 2-0 in the N.L.C.S., and Cleveland is up 1-0 in the A.L.C.S.  Both the Dodgers and the Rays are facing serious adversity for the first time all year, and we will see if they can fight back or not.

It's a travel day in the N.L.C.S., so the only game today will be Cleveland and Tampa Bay at 7 PM Central on TBS.  Enjoy!

Month of MLB: Day Fourteen

The Brewers beat the Dodgers 2-1 last night, as the Milwaukee bullpen simply annihilated Dodger hitting.  Milwaukee's bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings last night, and the results were two hits and zero runs.  So now the odds to win the World Series look like this:

Milwaukee:  +175

Los Angeles:  +180

Tampa Bay:  +310

Cleveland:  +650

I think Tampa Bay is being underrated.

Anyway, here is today's schedule:

4 P.M.:  Los Angeles at Milwaukee (FOX) (Milwaukee leads 1-0)

7 P.M.:  Cleveland at Tampa Bay (TBS) (series tied 0-0)

Here is how Cleveland and Tampa Bay have done in prior ALCS's:

Tampa Bay (2-0):  2008, 2020

Cleveland (3-3):  1995, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2016, 2024

Off the top of my head, I cannot think of a major sports event that featured both Tampa Bay and Cleveland.

Ken Pomeroy has dropped his new rankings

Here is the K-Pom preseason top 20:

1.  Duke

2.  Florida

3.  Houston

4.  Illinois

5.  Arizona

6.  Iowa St.

7.  Michigan St.

8.  Kansas

9.  Alabama

10.  Texas

11.  Connecticut

12.  Texas Tech

13.  Vanderbilt

14.  Gonzaga

15.  Virginia

16.  Nebraska

17.  Louisville

18.  Tennessee

19.  Texas A & M

20.  Arkansas

Here is the Classic SEC:

2.  Florida

9.  Alabama

13.  Vanderbilt

18.  Tennessee

25.  Auburn

26.  Kentucky

38.  Mississippi

46.  Georgia

62.  Louisiana St.

69.  Mississippi St.

Here is the Classic ACC:

1.  Duke

15.  Virginia

37.  N. Carolina

50.  Clemson

53.  Maryland

65.  N. Carolina St.

76.  Wake Forest

93.  S. Carolina

Murray State is ranked 97.  Western is ranked 122.