More than two weeks remain in the Major League Baseball season, but seven teams – nearly a quarter of the teams in the league – are already eliminated from contention in their divisions. The Detroit Tigers still have a minuscule shot at a wildcard spot in the American League, but the Marlins, Braves, Phillies, Brewers, Reds and Rockies have nothing at all to play for.
Or so they may think.
While these chosen seven will not see playoff baseball themselves, they can choose to accept a role with a great history in sports: that of spoiler. Of ruiner. They can be the kid who comes in and kicks down the blocks the more talented and popular kids spent all day building.
The Tigers still have to play the Royals, Twins and Rangers. Kansas City is a postseason lock, but Minnesota and Texas? Detroit can ruin them.
The Marlins have four games coming up this weekend in Washington. They can be the ones who drive the stake through the hearts of Matt Williams and his preseason favorites.
The Braves have three games next week with the Mets. Short of winning the World Series, what could be better for the Braves than to cause the start of another historic Mets collapse? Atlanta then closes the season against the Cardinals. If the Braves spoil the division title for the Cardinals, America might throw them a parade.
The Brewers? In addition to four games against the Cardinals, they have have six left versus the Cubs. This is your chance to get back in the good graces of America, Ryan Braun.
Cincinnati’s remaining schedule includes three against the Cardinals, four versus the Mets, a makeup game against the Nationals, and then two final series with the Cubs and Pirates. If the Reds can get hot, they can burn down most of the National League.
Then there’s the Phillies. OK, asking them to play the spoiler role is a bit much. Forget them. But the other teams? This is their time. The previous 145 games, not so much. But it was all laying the groundwork for a great, late-season uprising. These teams were so bad for five and half months that their opponents will overlook them. The trap is set.
Embrace this opportunity, lousy teams. Be spoilers. Crush the hopes and dreams of those more successful than you. It’s the American Dream (of all those who fail to achieve the regular American Dream).
Quote of the Week
“I was one of the few that wanted to actually win and I was one of the few that competed and posted up every day” - Jonathan Papelbon, Nationals closer, on his time playing for the Phillies.
Is it worse to play on a team that doesn’t want to win, as Papelbon claims he did in Philadelphia, or on a team that badly wants to win but is seemingly incapable of doing so, like his current team? Hard to say! But it’s something Papelbon can ponder during his long offseason, which will start on the same day as Philadelphia’s.
Stat of the Week
58, 24 – The Dodgers and Rockies played a 16-inning game Tuesday night with the Rockies prevailing, 5-4. Using expanded rosters from September call-ups, the teams combined to use 58 total players and 24 pitchers, both all-time records. Colorado also set a major league record for one team by using 13 pitchers in the game, although that is a little bit misleading because the Rockies have barely had 13 major league pitchers in their entire 23-year history.
This Week’s Horrible Fantasy Team That Crushed Your Team
Adonis Garcia, 3B, Braves -- 8-for-15, HR, 6 RBI
Dustin Ackley, IF/OF, Yankees -- 7-for-14, HR, 3 RBI
Alex Rios, OF, Royals -- 8-for-21, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Nolan Reimold, OF, Orioles -- 7-for-19, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Tom Koehler, P, Marlins -- 14 innings, 14 strikeouts, 2 wins, 1.93 ERA
CC Sabathia, P, Yankees -- 11.1 innings, 11 strikeouts, 0.79 ERA
Reader Twitter Question of the Week
@DJGalloEtc how would Mets training staff handle Roy Hobbs? Swing count?
— TedEd (@TED44E) September 16, 2015
That’s a good question and I don’t know the answer. But I think what Roy Hobbs and Curt Schilling both shown is that if you really want to win, you have to be willing to play even through open wounds. And what Schilling specifically showed is that the risk of playing with open wounds is that bacteria can get into your bloodstream, attack your brain and leave it essentially incapacitated for the rest of your life.
Phillies-ness of the Week
They did it! The Phillies have achieved their ultimate goal! They’ve played so poorly that management had no choice but to fire general manager Ruben Amaro. The architect of the organization’s downfall was given his walking papers last week. He’ll probably offer those walking papers a massive, longterm contact thinking they can get a high OBP.
But now that Amaro is gone, let’s at least get him some credit for trying to win. No one can say he didn’t go for it all. He just came up very short.
Cubs World Series Odds: Holding steady
The Cubs continue to play good baseball and Jake Arrieta is putting a stranglehold on the NL Cy Young Award, but they still haven’t gained much on the Cardinals or Pirates in the NL Central. It’s classic Cubs: even when things are going well, they never go exactly right.
Cubs are back! Thrown out at first on a hit to right. https://t.co/bwiDIzL9OC
— DJ Gallo (@DJGalloEtc) September 15, 2015
A-Rod-ness of the Week
After a month of speculation that his age had caught up to him, Rodriguez is on a tear again with with six home runs, 12 RBI and a .994 OPS in September – well above the 2/10/.532 he had in August. Rodriguez has been so good this year that the New York papers have been forced to direct all of their vitriol at Eli Manning.
Poor Eli... pic.twitter.com/4Xr5p8t1Bn
— 2 Point Lead (@2PointLead) September 15, 2015
If Eli doesn’t learn to count soon, all that can save him his A-Rod striking out in every at-bat in the playoffs.
Ten Things To Think While You Think of Things
1) Apologies for the football reference above in a baseball column. Football did bump this column from Mondays every week to Thursdays now, but let’s not consider that deferring to football. Let’s say we just skipped a few days in the rotation. (That’s a baseball term!)
2) And let’s fully transition away from the football portion of this baseball column with some thoughts on the NFL’s opening Sunday from Mets third baseman Juan Uribe:
"More fooball! Oh sh*t! F*cking bullsh*t... unf*ckingbelievable... Baseball, that's what I want to watch." - Juan Uribe
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) September 13, 2015
3) The fireworks guy at Progressive Field got booed Tuesday night when he accidentally set off fireworks following a home run by Alex Rios of the Royals.
But like the invention of penicillin, this accident may have hit upon something great. Cleveland are a mediocre team that struggles to sell tickets. What sells tickets without fail in baseball? Fireworks nights. So why not always set off fireworks when the opponent scores? Your fans are guaranteed to leave the stadium every night with a win or an amazing pyrotechnic experience. You’re welcome for doing your job for you, baseball marketing departments. I accept cash, check, PayPal or bobbleheads.
4) There was one other contender for Quote of the Week this week beyond Papelbon’s quote above. It was Jonathan Papelbon. In continuing his rant on the Phillies, he said: “I think the blame goes all the way from the front office down to the bat boy.” Good for Papelbon being man enough to criticize unpaid children for their job performance. Too few adults today will do that. And the Phillies bat boys truly are terrible at their chosen childhood profession. Observe:
Fire the bat boys.
5) What Papelbon doesn’t realize is that the difference between good baseball teams and bad baseball teams is respect for the bat boy community. (Or at least maybe one of the differences.) Observe Rangers manager Jeff Banister celebrating with a Rangers bat boy on Tuesday night. Sure, he shoved the kid away from him immediately. But for a split-second that bat boy felt like a bat man.
6) White Sox reliever Scott Carroll got sent to the minors in early August, but assumed he would be called back up in September. He was right. But when he returned to Chicago on Wednesday, he returned to where he had parked his Cadillac Escalade, only to find it had been stolen. Ridiculous, right? Career minor leaguers can afford Cadillac Escalades. I chose to be mediocre the wrong profession.
7) Speaking of my mediocrity, I led my 5 May column with the words: “The Houston Astros as punchline is over.”
8) In fairness to the Astros, they’re not exactly on an even playing field with a team with players who can fly.
Rougned Odor go boing #Rangers (Vine by @MikeLeslieWFAA) https://t.co/tfboJ2cSLU
— RT Deportivo (@notasportsRT) September 17, 2015
9) Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson might be the favorite for the American League MVP and New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is making a late push for NL MVP. Both players were traded away from the Oakland A’s in 2014 by Billy Beane. The baseball mastermind is getting heat for the moves, especially considering the return he got for Donaldson and Cespedes have helped put the A’s in the basement in the AL West. Whoops.
“Now a World Series contender ... last year’s hunger is now replaced with complacency, and bad decisions by [management] threaten to tear the team apart.” That’s the plot summary for Major League 2. Sounds like Beane may be angling for a Moneyball sequel.
10) Just want to point out that the baseball world is pulling its hair out again debating MVP candidates when it has never been decided if the award is intended for the most “valuable” player or the best player. We could simplify the whole thing by making an MVP and a Most Outstanding Player Award. OK, check this space again in a year when I say the same thing again and it gets completely ignored.
