7 Cincinnati, No. 6 Marlins Rookie Cristian Javier worked three hitless innings in relief for the victory in his postseason debut and Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth against his former team, giving the Houston bullpen a total of 9 2/3 scoreless innings in the wild card series with three hits allowed. 2 Athletics vs. No. The American League Championship Series will be held at Petco Park in San Diego while the National League Championship Series will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington. With the bases loaded in the first, he flew out to end the inning. Astros to face Minnesota in round 1 of the 2020 playoffs. Rougned Odor added a two-out RBI single. Then in the sixth, the Twins lost left fielder Eddie Rosario to ejection after he argued a called strike two that would’ve given him a walk if it were called a ball. All matchups are best-of-three, with every game hosted by the top seed in ballparks without fans. Pettis, 62, is expected to make a full recovery.

Houston rested almost one-third of its regular position players and pulled starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. after four scoreless innings. 6 Miami and No. Removing Fans Didn’t Remove MLB’s Home-Field Advantage Miami’s Upset Potential, Clippers Chaos, the Villainous Astros, and MLB Bubble Playoff Picks …

The other AL pairings: Top-seeded Tampa Bay-No. St. Louis played a total of 58 games — it was prepared for a doubleheader in Detroit on Monday if needed to settle the playoff picture. Nelson Cruz gave the Twins an RBI double for a second straight game, this time in the fourth inning against starter Jose Urquidy. “I know a lot of people are mad. Buxton was picked off first base after pinch-running for Cruz in the eighth. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. If Seager homers, Dodgers edge Brewers 4-2 in wild-card opener, Yanks rally, beat Indians 10-9 to reach ALDS vs rival Rays, Renfroe slam helps Rays sweep young Blue Jays in 1st round, Fans allowed at NLCS, World Series in Texas, Astros sweep as Twins lose 18th straight in playoffs, Video reviews overturn 42% rate; Boston most successful, Dodgers confident going into NL wild-card series vs Brewers, Cubs, Marlins set to meet after bumpy paths to postseason, Yuli Gurriel takes pay cut to $7M to stay with Astros, Young Blue Jays say they aren’t intimidated by top seed Rays, For Marlins, playoff berth could be start of a new era, Mariners see development, progress in truncated season, Orioles show progress in second year of rebuild under Elias, Another September collapse could spur changes for Phillies, Champs to chumps: Age, injuries drop 2020 Nats to last place, AL West champion Athletics finally get their playoff series, Cardinals beat Brewers, both clinch postseason berths, Nationals’ Soto youngest ever to win NL batting crown, Angels fire GM Billy Eppler after 5 straight losing seasons, Marlins’ Starling Marte, José Ureña hurt against Yankees, Ron Roenicke fired by Red Sox after one season, Nationals GM Rizzo won’t reveal length of Martinez’s new contract, Giants release veteran right-hander Jeff Samardzija, Hunter Pence announces retirement after 14 years, White Sox reliever Cordero suspended 3 games for hitting Contreras, Astros’ Pettis diagnosed with multiple myeloma, leaves club, Marlins clinch 1st playoff berth since 2003, beat Yanks 4-3, Reds top Twins 7-2, clinch 1st playoff spot since 2013, White Sox slugger Jiménez sidelined with bruised foot, Report: Martinez, Nationals agree to contract extension, Brewers’ Burnes goes on IL with strained left oblique, Blue Jays clinch 1st playoff spot since 2016, beat Yanks 4-1, MLB moving amateur draft to All-Star week in July, Alex Gordon to retire after 14 seasons with Royals, Rays beat Mets 8-5, clinch 1st AL East title in 10 years, Dodgers clinch NL’s top seed, West title with win over A’s, Angels’ Andrelton Simmons opts out of final 5 games, Mariners’ Moore placed on concussion list, out for season, Cole Hamels done for year after just 1 start for Braves, Major League Baseball said Wednesday that about 11,500 tickets will be available for each game. If they can keep it up, the defending American. Nobody on this Twins team has had a hand in more than six of the playoffs losses, but for the second straight year one of baseball’s most potent lineups limped through a brief postseason cameo. 3 Chicago Cubs-No. On Wednesday, the NL gets going. “Up and down the lineup, we strung together good, quality at-bats,” Springer said.

There is no better sign the Astros’ offense may finally be clicking on all cylinders than when George Springer, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman all hit home runs in the same game for the first time in more than two years. Jose Berrios was one of the few who were locked in with five strong innings to start, with just two hits allowed. That’s how you see it,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. Both were reversed to outs after replay review. 3 Twins vs. No. 8 Blue Jays There have been no spectators at any games this season but fans will finally have the opportunity to go to the NL Championship Series and World Series at new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas–one of the few states allowing spectators to attend events this year. Rangers: OF-DH Shin-Soo Choo, 38, said he would like to play in Sunday's Texas season finale and beyond. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! It was the first time that Springer, Altuve (who was a triple shy of the cycle) and Bregman (who was a single shy of the cycle) went deep in the same game since the trio went back to back to back against the Rays on June 20, 2018. “It’s tough sitting here and not thinking (about the playoffs),” Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said after a 5-0 loss at Tampa Bay. 4 Cleveland vs. No. In a three-game Division Series sweep by the Yankees last year, the Twins totaled seven runs and 22 hits. After being called out on strikes in the fourth, Springer barked, “No way, man!” multiple times on his way back to the dugout. “From the very beginning, we envisioned ourselves back in the playoffs and playing real well,” Tucker said. Houston Astros Team History & Encyclopedia Team Names: Houston Astros, Houston Colt .45s Seasons: 59 (1962 to 2020) Record: 4630-4697, .496 W-L% Playoff Appearances: 14 Pennants: 3 World Championships: 1 “It’s going to be wild, everything about it,” Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said as the playoffs approached. It could be up to Yu Darvish to save the Chicago Cubs' season. He pitched well down the stretch after suffering nerve irritation caused by a plane trip in early August. Each had three hits, as did Josh Reddick, who hit the Astros' fourth homer of the night in the ninth inning. Marlins manager Don Mattingly said center fielder Starling Marte is unlikely to bat but will be available for Game 2 vs. the Cubs, which has been moved to Friday after Thursday's game was postponed. 5 St. Louis on Wednesday. The Twins are 0-18 in the playoffs since winning Game 1 of their Division Series at the New York Yankees on Oct. 5, 2004, a total of seven rounds lost. Today we offer the Nationals' Juan Soto, the brash Dominican champion who backs up his style with substance. “Lynn is such a quality pitcher, and then we got shut down in Seattle.

Astros third base coach Gary Pettis has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and will miss the rest of the 2020 season. The Astros, who have reached the AL championship series in each of the last three years, will play Monday against either the A’s or the White Sox.

RHP Lance McCullers Jr. is the only member of their regular season rotation who did not pitch in Minnesota. 2 Braves vs. No. After winning 101, 103 and 107 games in the last three regular seasons, winning the 2017 World Series and losing the championship in seven games to the Washington Nationals last year, the Astros stumbled through the 2020 season at 29-31 under new manager Dusty Baker and general manager James Click with a slew of injuries after the COVID-19 pandemic cut the schedule to 60 games. Atlanta Braves right-hander Ian Anderson and Cincinnati Reds righty Luis Castillo have a tough act to follow in the second game of the National League wild-card series. Both teams took issue with plate umpire Manny Gonzalez’s strike zone, with Astros slugger George Springer the first to visibly complain. Their 2021 opener is scheduled for April 1 at Milwaukee. Houston crushes 4 homers in series-opening win at Texas. His two walks were costly, though, issued right before Tucker’s single in the fourth. “Anything can happen, we all know that, and that’s why I think it’s going to be must-see TV throughout both leagues. 3 Cubs vs. No. 8 Toronto, No. The Astros are in the playoffs for a club-record fourth straight year and the fifth time in the last six seasons,. The biggest losers Sunday were Philadelphia and the Giants. AP. They never got above .500.

Atlanta outfielder Nick Markakis chose not to play, then returned in early August. 7 Reds Yelich, the former MVP who hit .205 this year after winning the last two NL batting titles, and the Brewers happily posed for a team picture in their playoff-clinch T-shirts on the Busch Stadium field. "Fourth straight year going to the postseason is no joke, and that's something to be proud of," said McCullers, who is scheduled to start Thursday's Game 3 of the wild-card series, "but we've got to put it together a little better in the postseason this year.". But the Astros' offensive resurgence was the story of the night. The Astros and first-year In a win-and-you’re-in game, St. Louis clinched by beating Milwaukee 5-2. “I was really excited with today’s game.”. Gibson's ERA in five previous home starts this season was 7.18. The Rangers have won consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 8-9 while the Astros have lost two straight for the first time since Sept. 9-10. Nine months after Houston’s rules-breaking, sign-stealing system was revealed, the Astros advanced to the Division Series in Los Angeles. No. Then in the seventh against losing pitcher Cody Stashak, Correa drove a 1-0 slider into the tarp-covered seats above right-center field for his 12th home run in 52 playoff games. “We have a very good offense, and I thought we could have felt sorry for ourselves after getting in at 3 a.m. [CT Thursday] after a tough series in Seattle, but that would have been the easy thing to do. Since that date, the Astros are 43-35 in postseason play, winning 10 of 15 rounds with three trips to the World Series. “But what are they going to say now?”. "I offered at a pitch that was ball four," Mathis said. With no days off, pitching strategies will be paramount, particularly how managers use their bullpens. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits in five innings at Arizona on Tuesday. The National League Division Series will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and Minute Maid Park in Houston. Click here for the MLB schedule and scoreboard. "I'm damn proud of myself," McCullers said, "I think that eight-start sample size (closing the season) is an indication of the pitcher I am.".
As the sixth seed, they will face the Oakland Athletics or Chicago White Sox in a best-of-five matchup starting Monday at Dodger Stadium. 7 White Sox 5 Yankees, No. If they can keep it up, the defending American League champs could be dangerous in the postseason. 2 Atlanta-No. Nine months after Houston’s rules-breaking, sign-stealing system was revealed, the Astros advanced to the Division Series in Los Angeles. Below is the format and locations for each round.
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports, Members of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in a baseball game to earn a playoff birth Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in St. Louis. After defending their AL Central title and going 24-7 at Target Field for the best home record in baseball, the No.