![]() As a National in 2019, his bravado contributed to a championship. On his last two postseason forays, he had volunteered to shoulder a heavy load, making relief appearances in between starts. He was standing at his locker at Citi Field, two days before the Mets declared him their Game 1 starter for Friday’s Wild Card round. But we’ll figure it out.” That unknown could play into St. “We’re not sure who we’re going to get and how we’re going to get them,” he said Wednesday. ![]() Interim manager Rob Thomson admitted there are challenges in attempting to plan for what the Cardinals could do. He doesn’t have the stuff that most aces do, but he pitched with command and composure down the stretch. He was the first pitcher since 1884 to finish a season with 230-plus strikeouts and 30 or fewer walks. He has made more starts than anyone in MLB since the beginning of the 2018 season. He is the longest-tenured player on the Phillies roster. He retired the first 20 batters he faced in the clincher against Houston. This is something he’s waited his entire career to do - pitch in a postseason game. Wheeler has a knack for reaching back and finding an extra gear in the biggest moments. He looked strong in those starts, although his secondary stuff was not always sharp. He’s made just three starts since missing a month with right elbow inflammation. The conditions at Nationals Park last weekend were borderline unplayable, so the Phillies did not want to risk injury to Wheeler. There is some concern, from what I understand, that Wheeler was not able to extend beyond 77 pitches in his last regular-season start. ![]() But he knows what worked and did not work then, and he can incorporate that into a new attack plan for Friday. Wheeler dominated the Cardinals in two starts earlier in the season. They will pitch Games 1 and 2, respectively, and they are as good a tandem as any in baseball right now. Matt Gelb: It’s all about Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. So, what are they up against? What are the Phillies’ strengths heading into this best-of-three set? Louis team, with a clubhouse that is fine pivoting to unorthodox roles (see Jack Flaherty coming out of the bullpen, for example).īut the postseason truly is a brand new ballgame, with manager Oli Marmol referring to the playoffs as a “clean slate.” The Cardinals know what it’s like to be the hungry underdog, and they know if they don’t execute, their season - and Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols’ careers - could be done in two games. Louis team, never too high, never too low. In fact, various members of the clubhouse will credit that mentality as a primary factor in their second-half success. Katie Woo: All season long, the Cardinals have exuded a cool, calm and collected composure, even when they were miserably underperforming in the first half. The Athletic’s beat writers Katie Woo (Cardinals) and Matt Gelb (Phillies) exchanged messages to preview the matchup. It’s time for postseason baseball, and there is plenty to think about before the Cardinals and Phillies meet in October for only the second time ever. It could result in him ultimately becoming one of the most decorated players in the history of a franchise that started in 1901. Ramírez’s insistence on signing a long-term contract extension to remain in Cleveland provided the foundation for the club’s march to an AL Central title. He’s far from the youngest player on the Guardians’ roster, but, at 30 years old, he supplies as much spirit as a newly promoted rookie. ![]() He’s not the most nimble athlete, but he’s sure-handed at the hot corner. He’s not the fastest guy, but he’s an elite base runner. He’s not the biggest guy, but he piles up home runs like a hulking slugger. He’s not the loudest guy, but he ranks atop the roster in trash talk and laughs produced. There’s a mystique about José Ramírez, perhaps the sport’s most unheralded headliner. When his pregame energy is palpable, everyone simply marvels at the comedy routine that follows. Everyone in the room understands the deal. These energy bursts appear with regularity. “Too long,” he shouts, before retreating to his locker, smacking the back of a bystander’s head along the way. That is, except for the All-Star third baseman, who’s yanking his middle-infield partner’s foot to drag him around the room in his leather chair, who’s wearing a blinding-yellow arm band just to stand out in the team photo and who every few minutes sprints over to the miniature basketball court in the corner of the clubhouse, where he demands the ball and promptly clanks a shot. CLEVELAND - It’s a few hours before first pitch at Progressive Field, a quiet afternoon in the Guardians clubhouse.
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