The results don't look good but Colorado's Drew Pomeranz believes there has been improvement.
The Rockies left-hander lasted only three innings, while his rookie counterpart Casey Kelly carried a shutout into the seventh inning, leading the San Diego Padres to a 4-3 win over Colorado on Saturday night.
Pomeranz (1-9) dropped his sixth straight decision - and Colorado lost for the eighth time in its last 10 games - but he felt the results, which included giving up a three-run homer to Jesus Guzman, don't match the reality.
"Three broken bats and a home run," Pomeranz said in assessing his outing. "That one swing (Guzman), it was a pretty mean swing. That was his first swing all night."
Pomeranz was pulled after three innings with his pitch count at 67. The rookie allowed four runs on four hits with three strikeouts, two walks and a wild pitch. The Rockies have employed a 75-pitch limit on their starters since just past mid-June.
"We paid for two pitches," Colorado manager Jim Tracy said, referring to Guzman's home run and a base hit by Cameron Maybin in the second after which he scored on Andy Parrino's double.
Read more here: SAN DIEGO: Pomeranz drops 6th in row, Rockies lose to Padres | MLB Baseball | Macon-com
The Washington Nationals are still in fairly comfortable position.
But the Atlanta Braves are intent on making the NL East leaders sweat a bit down the stretch.
Mike Minor pitched six strong innings, Dan Uggla broke it open with a two-run single and Gio Gonzalez was denied his 20th win as the Braves completed a three-game sweep, beating the Nationals 5-1 on Sunday night.
Washington's lead is down to 5 1/2 games after the lost weekend in Atlanta, but the Nationals are still confident about wrapping up the division over the next 2 1/2 weeks.
"Just turn the page," Gonzalez said. "I still feel confident with our team."
Manager Davey Johnson gave Gonzalez every chance to become the first 20-game winner for the Montreal-Washington franchise since Ross Grimsley in 1978, when the team still called Canada home.
But the Braves showed plenty of patience at the plate, taking pitches or fouling them off, forcing Gonzalez to throw 83 pitches over the first three innings. He staggered into the sixth, trailing 2-1, and was lifted after the first two Atlanta hitters reached.
Coming off a weekend series victory over another contending AL club, the Oakland Athletics will be looking to stay on a roll this week as they take on a couple of other tough opponents to highlight the baseball betting action on the diamond.
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The Athletics strengthened their playoff chances with a series win over the Baltimore Orioles, and not only are they sitting in first place in the league's Wild Card standings but they're also now within range of the Texas Rangers for top spot in the AL West race.
Oakland, though, begins a tough road stretch on Tuesday against two other teams in a dogfight for AL division titles with three games in Detroit and then three more in New York.
The A's and Tigers played a four-game series in Oakland back in May, splitting those four games 2-2 both straight-up and on the OVER/UNDER. The A's and Yankees have met seven times already this year – all in Oakland – with the Athletics dropping the first three matchups back in May but then sweeping a four-game series with New York in late July.
The Yankees will warm up for the A's by hosting the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series starting on Tuesday night, while the Tigers will stay at home and get a visit from the Minnesota Twins in a three-game weekend set.
Over in the National League the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals are all sitting comfortably atop their respective divisions with two weeks left in the regular season, while the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Dodgers remain the top Wild Card contenders – with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies all lurking as dark-horse contenders to slip into the postseason.
The Braves are on the road in Miami and Philadelphia this week, while the Dodgers visit Washington and Cincinnati, and the Cardinals host Houston before heading to Wrigley Field to battle the Cubs. St. Louis is 8-6 against Chicago this season with a 6-8 OVER/UNDER.
Athletics Enter Key Week as Baseball Betting Action Turns Up Heat | Gambling Beat News
A whiteboard tucked in a corner of the Pittsburgh Pirates' clubhouse early Tuesday afternoon read "own September."
By the time the team walked off the field after a 6-0 loss to Milwaukee several hours later, the message was erased.
The Pirates' pursuit of a playoff spot might be next.
Weary from a late night in Chicago, overwhelmed by streaking Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo and unable to control Milwaukee on the base paths, Pittsburgh fell to 4-12 this month to take another step back in the playoff chase. The Pirates are one game over .500 (74-73) with two weeks left in the season as they vie for the franchise's first winning season in two decades.
A.J. Burnett (15-8) did his part, overcoming a shaky start to give up just two runs over six innings. Still, it wasn't enough to stop the Pirates from dropping to 4-12 this month to fall 3 1-2 games back of St. Louis for the National League's second wild card spot.
"We haven't been playing the way we've wanted to play lately," Burnett said. "We're still coming in with the attitude that we're in this thing."
Not for long, however, if the Pirates can't find a way to beat streaking Milwaukee. The Brewers have won five straight over Pittsburgh, one of the reasons they've made up nine games against the Pirates over the last month.
Read more here: PITTSBURGH: Pirates' swoon continues in 6-0 loss to Brewers | MLB Baseball | Macon-com
Major League Baseball is nearing agreements with Fox and Turner Sports on eight-year contracts through 2021, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
Under the deals, which are likely to be announced before the postseason, Fox will retain rights to the World Series and to a league championship series every year, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity Wednesday because no announcement has been made.
The amount baseball receives from the two networks is likely to double to an average of about $800 million annually, with Fox's share averaging about $500 million.
ESPN and MLB last month announced a new deal covering 2014-21 that will increase ESPN's average yearly payment from about $360 million to approximately $700 million.
Fox, which broadcasts a Saturday regular-season game each week under its current deal, will gain additional regular-season rights under the new contract. Fox is expected to put some games on a national cable network that likely will be a rebranded form of its Speed network.
Turner also will broadcast an LCS each year, two division series and 13 regular-season Sunday telecasts. However, it will gain more telecasts that will be broadcast simultaneously with the local club TV feed within a market and increased digital rights.
Read More: AP source: MLB nears 8-year deals with Fox, Turner - Yahoo! Sports
It had been so long since Jim Tracy watched Jorge De La Rosa pitch, Colorado's manager could take the positive out of a rough stretch for his Rockies.
De La Rosa returned to the big league mound for the first time in more than a year during his team's 9-2 loss Thursday to the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants, and the lefty showed plenty of encouraging signs in 3 2-3 innings.
"After 16 months I'm very pleased with what I saw from our starting pitcher," Tracy said. "We did a poor job of taking care of the baseball. Two miscues led to seven runs. But the bright spot was the left-handed pitcher who showed he's getting himself back to the guy he can be, and then some."
It was a short day for De La Rosa - but that might have been expected as he came off the 60-day disabled list. He pitched for the first time since May 24, 2011, when he left an outing with elbow soreness and later underwent Tommy John surgery.
De La Rosa was tagged for five earned runs, six in all, and seven hits in 3 2-3 innings. De La Rosa and Jonathan Herrera each had RBI singles for Colorado.
Read more here: SAN FRANCISCO: De La Rosa returns as Rockies lose 6th straight | MLB Baseball | The Bellingham Herald
1. Texas Rangers - Derek Holland has been tremendous over the past month or two, giving the club a legitimate No. 1 starter.
2. New York Yankees - Alex Rodriguez has been a bigger boost than expected since coming off the DL. Maybe the time off refreshed him for the stretch run.
3. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds remain in a tight race with the Nationals for homefield advantage.
4. Oakland Athletics - The A's are starting to fade after losing two straight to the Yankees.
5. Baltimore Orioles - We are running out of superlatives for this team. Two more incredible, extra-inning wins in Seattle and another one in Boston.
6. Washington Nationals - The Nationals will be playing postseason baseball for the first time since 1933.
7. Los Angeles Angels - The Angels are still alive in the playoff race, but need a lot of help from the Orioles.
8. Tampa Bay Rays - See Angels, Los Angeles.
9. Atlanta Braves - Kris Medlen's emergence suddenly gives the Braves a true ace to slide into the vacancy created by the Brandon Beachy injury.
10. San Francisco Giants - Don't look now, but Tim Lincecum has been very good since the All-Star break.
11. Chicago White Sox - If the White Sox hold on to win the division, Robin Ventura deserves some attention for AL Manager of the Year.
12. Detroit Tigers - The Tigers only hope of a trip to the postseason is winning the AL Central.
13. St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis is excited to see Chris Carpenter make his much anticipated return to the starting rotation.
14. Los Angeles Dodgers - All the trades, all the money and a significant wild card deficit is all they have to show for it.
15. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies are still making a strong playoff push, but might simply run out of games.
16. Milwaukee Brewers - See Phillies, Philadelphia.
17. Seattle Mariners - The Mariners have some decent pitching, but that offense could use some work in the offseason.
18. Pittsburgh Pirates - The wheels are coming off the cart for the Pirates. It was only a matter of when, not if, in my mind.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks - The Diamondbacks are now all but eliminated from playoff contention.
20. Kansas City Royals - The Royals must be pretty excited about this new and improved Jeremy Guthrie.
21. Boston Red Sox - Bobby Valentine is doing his best to get himself fired after just one year at the helm.
22. New York Mets - R.A. Dickey is oh so close to 20 wins.
23. San Diego Padres - It looks like Huston Street won't make it back this year, which makes you wonder why they didn't trade him when they had the chance.
24. Toronto Blue Jays - While it's been a terribly frustrating season, there is still a lot of talent in the Blue Jays organization.
25. Miami Marlins - If there is one team to watch this offseason, it will be the Marlins.
26. Minnesota Twins - It's hard to find a bright spot or silver lining for the Twins this year.
27. Cleveland Indians - It's hard to believe the Indians may finish in last place in their division.
28. Colorado Rockies - Maybe Troy Tulowitzki isn't coming back this year.
29. Chicago Cubs - The Cubs would do well to keep losing to assure themselves a top three draft selection.
30. Houston Astros - Barring some type of miracle, the Astros locked up next year's top draft pick.
MLB power rankings - Baltimore Sports | Examiner-com
In a mild upset, the Texas Rangers didn't sprint to their buses Sunday afternoon and speed off to their charter flight to get the heck out of the Pacific Northwest as quickly as possible.
It was a rough weekend at Safeco Field, where opportunities to build on their lead in the American League West were wasted ahead of a critical four-game series against their closest rival.
The margin over second-place Oakland is four games after a 3-2 victory Sunday that prevented Seattle from registering its first sweep of the Rangers in nearly five years.
But the Rangers can look back at a lack of production by baseball's highest-scoring offense for their failures against the Mariners. A repeat performance will prove more costly against the A's and in the postseason.
"We didn't execute today, and I guess the whole road trip," shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "But we got a win. That's all that matters."
The Rangers became the first AL team to hit 90 wins, and their magic number to clinch the AL West is seven. Any combination of seven Rangers wins and A's losses over the final 10 games of the season will result in a third straight banner flying above Rangers Ballpark.
They also lead New York by two games in the quest to be the top-seeded team in the postseason.
The Rangers are planning to be there. They have discussed, but aren't revealing, what their roster might be for the AL Division Series and which pitcher they want to start Game 1.
Chances are the Rangers will be in the playoff mix. If they are to go 5-5 the rest of the season, Oakland would have to go 10-2 to end the Rangers' two-year reign atop the West.
But Washington conceded that plate performances like the Rangers had against Seattle, when they scored six runs in three games and went 0 for 20 with runners in scoring position over the final 21 innings, won't take them far the next six weeks.
Read more here: Rangers avoid sweep in Seattle | MLB Baseball | The Bellingham Herald
With just 10 days left in baseball's regular-season schedule the American League Central and American League East titles are still up for grabs, as the contending clubs look to pay off on the MLB lines and help themselves in the postseason chase this week.
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In the AL Central the Tigers have been gaining ground on the White Sox, and they have four games on tap at home against the Royals early this week before heading to Minnesota to face the Twins on the weekend. The White Sox have the Indians in town starting on Monday before getting a visit from another contender, the Rays, over the weekend.
The Tigers are 6-4 on the MLB betting lines over their last 10 games against the Royals, with the OVER/UNDER going 3-7 for totals bettors at Bovada in those contests. The White Sox have won six of their last 10 against the Tribe, with that OVER/UNDER at 7-1-2.
Over in the AL East it's the Yankees trying to shake off the Orioles for the division title, with New York on a road trip this week that will take them through Minnesota and Toronto. The Orioles will host the Blue Jays for four games early this week – including a doubleheader on Monday – before the Red Sox head to Baltimore for three games on the weekend.
The Yankees and Twins met for four games in New York back in April, splitting those contests with two wins apiece with the OVER/UNDER going 3-1. The Orioles have won six of their last 10 and four of their last five games against the Blue Jays, while totals bettors on the MLB lines at Bovada saw the OVER/UNDER go 5-5 in their last 10 meetings.
On the World Series futures at Bovada heading into Sunday's action the Yankees were at 13/2 to win the championship, with the Orioles and Tigers at 14/1, and the White Sox at 15/1. The Texas Rangers led the way on those baseball futures at 9/2 to claim the title.
The Brewers couldn't beat the team that dethroned them as NL Central champions, leaving their postseason prospects bleak.
Johnny Cueto pitched seven solid innings, and the Cincinnati Reds stayed in the chase for the NL's top record by beating Milwaukee 4-2 on Tuesday night after learning they'll be without manager Dusty Baker for the rest of the week.
The Brewers dropped back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month, a modest downtown that's had a huge effect on their playoff chances. They fell 4 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the final NL wild card after the Cardinals beat Houston 4-0.
"It's not a good time to do it," manager Ron Roenicke said. "It's certainly looking a lot tougher. We're going to have to get some big-time help."
The Brewers won the NL Central last year. They got themselves back into postseason contention by winning 25 of 32. They got no break from the Reds, who clinched the division title on Saturday night and rested four of their regulars the following day. Interim manager Chris Speier went back to his usual lineup on Tuesday.
The Cleveland Indians have struggled mightily in the second half. Still, they're having a big impact on the race in the AL Central.
The Indians drew 12 walks in a 6-4 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday night, knocking Chicago out of the AL Central lead for the first time in two months. Cleveland came into U.S. Cellular Field and won two of three.
"It shows a little character," Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "They still got a lot more to play for than we do. We're obviously not going to be doing anything after Oct. 3, but the fact that we're still competing like we are right now shows signs of some character."
Chicago, which has lost seven of eight, had been in sole possession or tied at the top every day since July 24. But Detroit moved ahead by a game, beating Kansas City 5-4 with a week left in the regular season.
The White Sox have lost 7 of their last 8 and have seven games remaining - four at home against Tampa Bay and three more at Cleveland next week.
"You're talking about a game lead, two-game, everything is so fragile. You talk about the momentum swings that can happen. This is one of them, the wrong way," Chicago first baseman Paul Konerko said.
"It doesn't mean in two days it doesn't swing the other way ...It was a tough out there tonight. We didn't deserve to win that game. This is the big leagues. You got all play nine innings."
Read more here: CHICAGO: Indians take encouragement from win over White Sox | MLB Baseball | The Bellingham Herald
One wayward pitch ended Adam Greenberg's Major League Baseball career on the same day it began, on a breezy July night in Miami seven years ago. The 92-mph fastball thrown by a Marlins pitcher struck Greenberg in the back of his helmet, knocked him to the ground and left him with mental and physical scars that prevented his return to the majors.
Greenberg became a baseball footnote after that: the only player, of the more than 18,000 who have played in the majors, whose career ended with one pitch. And because he was hit by a pitch, Greenberg was not credited with an official at-bat.
But in a story that is reminiscent of the character Moonlight Graham in the movie Field of Dreams, Greenberg on Tuesday will go from footnote to feel-good story. The Marlins announced that they intend to sign Greenberg, 31, to a one-day contract that will enable him to fulfill his dream of receiving an official at-bat in the majors. He will bat Tuesday at Marlins Park against the New York Mets.
Read more here: ATLANTA: Beaned batter Adam Greenberg gets new chance with Marlins | MLB Baseball | Bradenton Herald
Former Atlanta manager Bobby Cox and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron participated as the Braves paid tribute to Chipper Jones before Friday night's game against the Mets.
Aaron gave Jones a third base with the words "Chipper Jones 1993-2012." The special bases with the tribute to Jones were used in the game. The on-deck circles also carried the logo, and Jones' No. 10 was painted in the grass in center field.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in a video message that Jones is a future Hall of Famer.
"It's obvious where you're headed," Selig said. "The next time we all see you will be in Cooperstown, N.Y."
Jones was 0-for-4 as the Mets beat the Braves 3-1. There were video tributes to Jones between innings through the night.
"I think I had a tear planted in the corner of my eye pretty much the whole night," Jones said.
"It was a little overwhelming, too overwhelming. ... There's no real way to prepare that that."
Jones won the 1999 NL MVP and 2008 batting title. His 468 home runs are the third-highest total for a switch-hitter, behind Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504). His 1,623 RBIs are the most for a third baseman, passing George Brett and Mike Schmidt this season.
Catcher Brian McCann, representing Braves players, thanked Jones "for being our leader, our mentor." The players bought the 40-year-old Jones, who is retiring after the season, a pool table.
The Mets are a fitting opponent for Jones' final home regular-season series. Jones feasted on Mets pitching in his 19-year career, hitting .311 with 49 home runs and 159 RBIs.
Jones and the Braves have clinched at least a wild-card berth after falling out of the playoffs on the last day of the 2011 season, capping a September collapse.
Jones smiled as he looked at his teammates watching from the dugout and said "I feel like every one of you are my younger brothers.
"You have done such a great job of coming back after what happened last year," Jones said. "I'm so proud of each and every one of you."
Cox was Jones' manager for the first 17 years of his career. Fredi Gonzalez took over the Braves last season.
Cox gave Jones a final pep talk during the ceremony.
"I want to say to Chipper to keep that rope in his mouth and keep pulling Fredi and his troops to ... the World Series," Cox said.
Jones said the Braves are "one of the best organizations in pro sports."
"In 19 years I've played under two managers and two general managers," Jones said. "Not too many organizations can boast of that over a two-decade period. That just shows you how solid this organization is from top to bottom."
The team also gave Jones and his family a trip to Hawaii and a plaque made from Turner Field bricks and shaped like home plate. Team president John Schuerholz announced Jones' clubhouse locker will be moved to Jones' home.
Jones was given a proclamation in which Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal proclaimed Sept. 28, 2012 as "Chipper Jones Day" in the state.
Jones' parents and two of his sons joined him on stage.
Read more here: ATLANTA: Braves honor Chipper Jones in pregame ceremony | MLB Baseball | The Sun Herald
Mike Napoli homered twice and drove in six runs as the Texas Rangers assured themselves and two other teams of spots in the playoffs with an 8-7 victory Sunday night, earning a doubleheader split against the Los Angeles Angels.
Napoli's second homer in the nightcap was a go-ahead three-run shot in the third.
Two-time defending AL champion Texas (93-66) can be no worse than a wild card. The Rangers can clinch their third consecutive AL West title by winning once in a three-game series at Oakland that starts Monday. Los Angeles, which won Sunday's opener 5-4, trails the A's by three games for the AL's second wild card with three games left.
The loss by the Angels (88-71) also clinched playoffs spots for Baltimore and the New York Yankees, who are tied for the AL East lead.
After blowing a save in the opener by allowing Torii Hunter's two-run double with two outs in the ninth, Joe Nathan worked the ninth in the nightcap for his 37th save in 40 chances.
Los Angeles took a quick 4-0 lead in the nightcap that Ervin Santana (9-13) quickly squandered.
Read More: MLB Recap - Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers - Sep 30, 2012 - CBSSports-com
Major League Baseball agreed with Fox and Turner Sports on eight-year contracts that will run through 2021 and keep the World Series on Fox.
The amount baseball receives from the two networks will double to an average of about $800 million annually, with Fox’s share averaging about $500 million.
Fox also will retain rights to the All-Star game and a league championship series every year and adds coverage of two division series starting in 2014. TBS will retain the rights to air one league championship series, two division series and one wild-card game. Fox and TBS will alternate between showing the American League and National League playoffs from year to year. MLB Network’s two division series games will come from Fox’s games.
ESPN and MLB in August announced a new deal covering 2014-21 that will increase ESPN’s average yearly payment from about $360 million to about $700 million. Speculation has been that Fox will rebrand its Speed Network into a ESPN-style, all-sports network.
Read More: MLB styles 8-year TV deals | The Journal Gazette
Covered in bubbly and wearing his new AL East champions hat, Derek Jeter sounded almost relieved after the New York Yankees ended a thrilling pennant race at the top of the league.
Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each hit a pair of homers, powering the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox 14-2 on a raucous Wednesday night in the Bronx for their 13th East title in 17 years.
"This was difficult. Come into the last day of the season, nobody knows what's going on. We've been taking it one day at a time for quite some time," Jeter said. "It feels good." In front of fans poised to party from the first pitch on the final night of the regular season, the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the last-place Red Sox to win their second consecutive division crown. The championship was locked up by the seventh inning, when Baltimore's 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay went final and prompted a huge ovation from the 47,393 in attendance.
Alex Rodriguez stepped out of the batter's box, and several players high-fived and hugged in the dugout while coaches shook hands.
"This year we had to fight, scratch and claw," Nick Swisher said.
The subdued celebration didn't really start until Freddy Garcia struck Ivan De Jesus looking to end it. Players hugged and slapped fives on the field and put on their AL East champion shirts and hats as fans feted them with a standing ovation with "New York, New York," blaring over the loudspeakers. The team walked off the field to chants of "Let's go Yankees!"
"Now the real season starts," Jeter said.
Read More: MLB Recap - Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees - Oct 03, 2012 - CBSSports-com
This time it appears Major League Baseball has made a change that works.
Though baseball has suffered through its share of tough times, falling way behind the National Football League in popularity, the addition of a second wild-card team in each league has added suspense to the postseason and to the end of the regular season.
Two “loser-go-home” wild-card games today — Cardinals vs. Braves and Rangers vs. Orioles — will get the postseason started in a potentially dramatic fashion. In addition, the new system kept things interesting down to the final day of the regular season and almost beyond.
It isn’t just the addition of one playoff team in each league that makes this change work. There is a renewed emphasis on teams winning their division and also competing for the best record in the league and the corresponding No. 1 seed.
Previously the top seed faced the wild-card team in the Division Series round unless the wild-card team was from the same division as the top seed. Thus the team with the best record often faced another division winner in the opening round.
Naysayers have complained that the change this season was unnecessary and just another example of baseball’s brain trust tinkering with something that isn’t broken. Critics have said the season has come down to the final day in the past — including a year ago — and the addition of more playoff teams further cheapens the regular season. Also, one hears the argument that things have been as they are for a long time so why the need for change.
What one considers a long time is relative. The postseason set-up in Major League Baseball in effect until a year ago was established in 1995. Following the cancellation of the 1994 postseason due to the players’ strike, the game came back the following season with big changes, going from two to three divisions in each league and adding a wild-card team.
That system lasted just 17 years, which may seem like a long time to fans in their 20s or 30s, but seems like it can be measured with a stopwatch to those of us in our 50s.
In fact, this writer can remember when baseball first went to a division setup in 1969. The addition of two new teams in each league prompted the game’s deep thinkers to break up each 12-team league into two divisions.
Previous to that only the winner of each league advanced to the postseason, which of course consisted at that time of just one round, the World Series. The change in 1969 established the League Championship Series, first as a best-of-five competition, then as best-of-seven beginning in 1985.
It probably is a given that no one is advocating a return to the way things were before 1969, even though that format had lasted since 1901. And yes, there were critics at the time who bemoaned the fact that the regular season would be rendered meaningless.
Of course, that didn’t happen, and the playoff format, in all of its varieties, has proven to be a success. That should continue to be the case with this latest change.
Youngstown News, MLB comes up aces with 2nd wild card
Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles will get another chance to overtake the New York Yankees.
The surprising O's have already beaten some big odds, getting past the two-time defending AL champion Texas Rangers and their Japanese ace, Yu Darvish, in the win-or-go-home wild-card playoff. Joe Saunders pitched effectively into the sixth inning at a place where he had never won, Adam Jones delivered the tiebreaking sacrifice fly and the Orioles, in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, eliminated the Rangers 5-1 Friday night.
"With our team it's just a bunch of guys that raised the bar and wouldn't give in and still haven't. Now they get a chance to win to roll the dice, and there's a lot of good card players in there," said Showalter, their manager.
The Orioles advanced to play the East champion Yankees, the AL's top seed -- the teams split 18 games this season. The best-of-five division series starts Sunday at Camden Yards.
The upstart Orioles spent the whole second half chasing New York, never passing them and falling just short in a neck-and-neck race for the division title.
Turns out, the Yankees haven't brushed off these Birds just yet.
"Real proud of everybody. Tacking on runs were big, knew they were going to run at you," Showalter said. "But just a real proud moment for us."
Read More: MLB Recap - Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers - Oct 05, 2012 - CBSSports-com
In the long history of postseason baseball through 2011, only two series had featured a winner-take-all contest with one of the positional starters still a teenager. Interestingly enough, each of the previous two had connections to Friday's Wild Card games.
On Oct. 17, 1996, the Braves hosted the Cardinals and beat St. Louis, 15-0, thanks in part to the efforts of left fielder Andruw Jones, who was 19 years and 177 days old for that contest and had a two-hit day, including a two-run home run. The Braves have not won a postseason winner-take-all game since, while the Cardinals now are 5-1 in winner-take-all games since then.
Jones is still around, of course, and if he makes the Yankees' postseason roster for the 2012 American League Division Series he would be competing against Orioles rookie Manny Machado. Machado, who is just a few months past his 20th birthday, on Friday became the second-youngest starting third baseman in a winner-take-all postseason game. Freddie Lindstrom, playing for the Giants in the 1924 World Series, had not yet turned 19 when he doubled once in five at-bats in New York's Game 7 loss to the Senators.
Read More: MLB Notebook: Young Manny Machado makes his mark | MLB-com: News
The MLB playoffs are off and running and baseball fans everywhere are rejoicing in postseason entertainment.
The first round in particular is always fun, getting to watch several meaningful, dramatic games everyday.
However, even in the first year of playoff reform, there are improvements to be made. The game needs to be highlighted and given more exposure to fans who love and crave it. These same fans would also like to see a little more October baseball.
Here's a look at what postseason rule changes should be made.
Read More: MLB Playoffs: 5 Postseason Rules That Need Changing | Bleacher Report
The Rockies left-hander lasted only three innings, while his rookie counterpart Casey Kelly carried a shutout into the seventh inning, leading the San Diego Padres to a 4-3 win over Colorado on Saturday night.
Pomeranz (1-9) dropped his sixth straight decision - and Colorado lost for the eighth time in its last 10 games - but he felt the results, which included giving up a three-run homer to Jesus Guzman, don't match the reality.
"Three broken bats and a home run," Pomeranz said in assessing his outing. "That one swing (Guzman), it was a pretty mean swing. That was his first swing all night."
Pomeranz was pulled after three innings with his pitch count at 67. The rookie allowed four runs on four hits with three strikeouts, two walks and a wild pitch. The Rockies have employed a 75-pitch limit on their starters since just past mid-June.
"We paid for two pitches," Colorado manager Jim Tracy said, referring to Guzman's home run and a base hit by Cameron Maybin in the second after which he scored on Andy Parrino's double.
Read more here: SAN DIEGO: Pomeranz drops 6th in row, Rockies lose to Padres | MLB Baseball | Macon-com