MLB

• Guardians 5 Orioles 1
  • For awhile, it felt as if the performances of a few Guardians were somewhat fluky. Steven Kwan, Amed Rosario, Oscar Gonzalez, and Andres Gimenez all got off to starts that seemed unsustainable, yet here we are, at the end of August, and all four hitters are still integral pieces to Cleveland’s success. The Guardians are awesome at player development.
• Reds 5 Cardinals 1
  • Dakota Hudson has been a major hindrance for the Cardinals lately. Posting a 5.76 ERA in August, the starter surely shouldn’t be a part of a likely St. Louis playoff rotation. Thankfully, it appears as if Jack Flaherty will return in time for the postseason.
• Rays 7 Marlins 2
  • Everything has been going right for the Rays lately, but now, ace Shane McClanhan may be injured. If the injury is substantial, this would be a death blow to Tampa Bay, as I don’t think the team would be able to cobble together enough quality pitching to survive in a playoff series against one of the AL’s big guns.
• Dodgers 4 Mets 3
  • 90 wins now for Los Angeles. I spoke about the Guardians’ player development, and the Dodgers certainly match it. The difference, though, is that Los Angeles is a high-budget organization, giving it a huge advantage over Cleveland, and thus leading to a 90-38 mark.
• Rockies 3 Braves 2
  • The front office probably won’t, but if Colorado opts to blow it up this offseason, Daniel Bard would be a nice trade chip. Recording his 28th save in this contest, the reliever is under team control through 2024, and despite his age, should be able to fetch a nice return for the Rockies. With that said, the team will likely decide to give 2023 a chance, especially considering that the hope will be Kris Bryant will be available the whole season.
• Astros 4 Rangers 2
  • I’ve talked about something along the lines of this before, but Framber Valdez is a rock. Eight innings in this game for the lefty, giving him his 14th win of 2022. With a guy like Valdez on the mound, it’s difficult to lose, especially when your lineup has players like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker in it.
• Diamondbacks 12 Phillies 3
  • Arizona obviously won’t be playing deep into October, but the club actually has some things going for it. The team has won five straight, the uber-talented Corbin Carroll has debuted, and Zac Gallen is still a stud.