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MLB InsidersESPN
The 2020 MLB playoffs are down to the final four teams with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays left standing in the league championship series. Starting with Sunday’s American League Championship Series Game 1 showdown between the Astros and the Rays in San Diego through the moment that the World Series is set, this is your place for the stars, turning points and takeaways at the conclusion of every game.
Key links: Ranking the remaining teams | Inside return of fans for NLCS | Schedule, bracket
NLCS Game 1: Atlanta Braves 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
What it means: So much for the Los Angeles Dodgers running completely roughshod through the 2020 MLB postseason. That notion ended at 10:23 p.m. local time Monday when the barrage ended. It had started 16 minutes earlier, with a 98 mph fastball delivered by Blake Treinen, a reliever tasked by the Dodgers with securing big outs. It happened to wind up in the nitro zone of Austin Riley, the Braves’ young third baseman/left fielder, and when balls at 98 meet his bat there, they tend to come to rest very far away.
In this case, it was 448 feet, though that number wasn’t as vital as what it represented: the go-ahead run in what had been a taut, well-pitched Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. It wound up opening the floodgates, with other Braves feasting off Dodgers relievers in their 5-1 victory at Globe Life Field.
By the end of the first game of the baseball season with fans allowed in the stadium, Braves fans, who constituted the majority at the ballpark, chanted and tomahawk-chopped after handing the Dodgers their first defeat of the playoffs. The Braves, meanwhile, remain undefeated, with Max Fried turning in a brilliant start as he dueled with Walker Buehler, and the Braves’ vaunted relief corps holding the Dodgers scoreless over the final three innings.
Now comes Game 2 — one of the biggest of Clayton Kershaw’s career. He’ll start against Braves rookie Ian Anderson, who has thrown 11⅔ scoreless innings this postseason. And Kershaw’s performance will be even more important after a Dodgers bullpen that had questions surrounding its closer, Kenley Jansen, has more to worry about after Monday. — Jeff Passan
Next up: Game 2: Braves vs. Dodgers (in Arlington, Texas), 6:05 p.m. ET Tuesday
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Manuel Margot goes all-out, leaping over the wall in right field to make a catch and get the out on George Springer.
ALCS Game 2: Tampa Bay Rays 4, Houston Astros 2
What it means: The Rays are a baseball version of the Vince Lombardi-era Green Bay Packers. They play smothering defense. They don’t beat themselves. And they grind you out gradually on offense, until they can spring the big play. The analogy might not be perfect, but Tampa Bay’s formula has played out perfectly all through the postseason.
In Game 2, the Astros hit the ball harder than the Rays, just as manager Dusty Baker suggested during his in-game interview. According to BaseballSavant.mlb.com, the expected batting average on the balls the Astros hit was well over .300; for the Rays it was under .200. Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. was dealing, for the most part, allowing a lone earned run over seven innings with 11 strikeouts.
But it came down to two mistakes: Jose Altuve‘s throwing error that kept the Rays’ first-inning rally alive — one of two uncharacteristic throwing miscues in the game for the Astros’ second baseman — and the curveball that McCullers left up and Manuel Margot deposited over the center-field fence for a three-run homer.
The Astros put runners on through most of the game, but for the second straight contest, couldn’t come up with the big, multirun blow to pierce the Rays’ protective armor. The bottom line was the Astros played well, but just made a couple of mistakes. The way the Rays are playing right now, that’s all they need to beat you. — Bradford Doolittle
Next up: Game 3: Rays vs. Astros (in San Diego), 8:40 p.m. ET Tuesday
Previous games
ALCS
Game 1: Tampa Bay Rays 2, Houston Astros 1
What it means: Game 1 of the ALCS featured a couple of twists, but ultimately was exactly the kind of game the Rays wanted. Early on, it looked as if it would be an Astros kind of night, with their hitters making frequent and high-quality contact. Rays starter Blake Snell went two times through the order with only one strikeout and — as he has all season — failed to get through six innings. But Houston could never get the big hit to break the game open, entering the middle innings with only Jose Altuve‘s solo homer on the board.
Then Randy Arozarena continued his transmogrification into the best fastball hitter on the planet with his fourth homer of the postseason. Then Mike Zunino stroked a highly rare RBI single to put the Rays ahead. Finally, the Rays protected a one-run lead, very much a part of their script. Tampa Bay followed Snell’s five innings with four shutout frames by four relievers and the Rays grabbed the opener 2-1. In doing so, the Rays improved to 16-5 in one-run games this season, a .762 winning percentage, including the postseason. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that’s currently the best one-run winning percentage by any team over a season. Ever.
The moral of Game 1 was this: The club that dictates the terms of engagement will be in good shape. The Astros had a chance to be that club in the early innings, but when they failed to do so, it became exactly the kind of game the Rays want to see every time out. — Bradford Doolittle
