Life's Too Sports

The Atlanta Braves scored six runs in the sixth inning on Thursday, en route to their lopsided 10-2 victory over the Dodgers in NLCS Game 4. Despite being blown out in Game 3, Atlanta's bounce-back effort in Thursday's Game 4 propels them to a 3-1 series advantage as they seek to advance to their first World Series since 1999. As expected, the Braves' winning formula proved once again to be solid pitching and timely hitting, much as they received in their  Game 1 and Game 2  victories earlier in the week. Meanwhile, the Dodgers' October opposition benefitted (once again) from the inability of star pitcher Clayton Kershaw to deliver in a clutch moment. Despite allowing only one run through five innings of work, Kershaw's solid outing quickly crumbled in the sixth, and reliever Brusdar Graterol was unable to stop the bleeding. With the score tied, 1-1 in the bottom of the inning, Braves' first baseman Freddie Freeman stepped to the plate hungry to deliver a clutc...

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 8-7 in NLCS Game 2 on Tuesday. For the Braves, this evening's victory propels them to a flawless, 7-0 record thus far in the 2020 MLB Postseason. Despite Atlanta's Game 1 win coming courtesy of a ninth-inning rally, NLCS Game 2 proved to be much less stressful . . . for awhile. As the contest progressed, the Dodgers' greatest threat seemed to come in a pivotal third inning plate appearance, when Will Smith grounded into a force-out to strand the bases loaded. From that moment forward, it was all Atlanta, as the Braves' star-studded lineup sought to capitalize on Clayton Kershaw's absence (due to back spasms). The Braves' offensive onslaught began in the fourth inning, when Freddie Freeman launched a home run for the second consecutive night to make it 2-0. In the fifth, however, their lead became nearly insurmountable. Cristian Pache and Freddie Freeman both recorded RBI knocks before Los Angel...

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 5-1 in NLCS Game 1 on Monday night. Both teams entered the contest with flawless postseason records of 5-0. The Dodgers swept the Brewers and Padres. The Braves swept the  Reds  and  Marlins . Thus, in Game 1 of the NLCS, something had to give. The first inning brought immediate joy to the Atlanta fanbase, as veteran Freddie Freeman shook off the rust with a solo shot to give the Braves a 1-0 edge. In the fifth, however, Dodgers' infielder Enrique Hernandez launched a solo blast of his own, knotting the score at one run apiece. Predictably, runs were difficult to come by in Monday night's matchup. Braves' starter Max Fried posted a truly impressive line (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO). Meanwhile, Dodgers' starter Walker Buehler posted a respectable line in his own right, despite a high pitch count due to a plethora of walks issued (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 SO). Nonetheless, Atlanta flexed thei...

On September 16, the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first MLB team to punch their ticket to the 2020 MLB Playoffs.  As of September 18, the Dodgers boast a record of 36-15, and seem to be on their way to an eighth consecutive NL West Division title. However, despite their tremendous regular season success, Los Angeles has repeatedly failed to capture a World Series trophy since 1988. Here are five reasons they will be unsuccessful once again in 2020. 1. Clayton Kershaw It's no secret that Clayton Kershaw's regular season success has not translated to impressive postseason numbers during his illustrious career. In 2,322 innings pitched, Kershaw currently holds an astounding regular season record of 174-76 with an ERA of 2.44. Meanwhile, Kershaw has pitched 158.1 postseason innings to claim a record of 9-11 with a 4.43 ERA. These numbers from the Dodgers' ace are no coincidence, as he has taken the mound in 32 playoff games and failed to impress more often than not. Aside fr...

Following Saturday afternoon’s contest in which the Giants regrettably allowed a slim lead to slip from their grasp, San Francisco entered AT&T Park on Sunday clinging to the present opportunity of winning a rather intense series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. And with newly-acquired ace Johnny Cueto atop the hill, San Francisco’s chances of securing the series victory seemed quite likely. The top half of the first inning, however, brought unexpected catastrophe, and the Giants’ unlucky defensive unit quickly found themselves heading to the dugout to collect their bats, already facing an intimidating five-run deficit. With Cueto struggling mightily, San Francisco was going to have to do everything in its collective power to trim into a relatively large Los Angeles lead against their veteran starter, left-hander Scott Kazmir. And thankfully for San Francisco, Kazmir didn’t quite seem to be on top of his game on Sunday afternoon either . In the bottom half...

With Friday evening’s walk-off celebration now firmly in the rear-view mirror, the San Francisco Giants would turn their attention to Saturday afternoon’s game – a contest that was set to feature two of the greatest starting pitchers in modern-day Major League Baseball. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw would toe the rubber – for the San Francisco Giants, it would be 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner. And after a slight rain delay pushed the game to 1:45 PM Pacific Standard Time, the two aces were more than ready to lead their troops into battle. In the first inning, the Dodgers mustered three base-runners (one on a double, one on a walk, and one on an error), whereas the Giants tallied two base-runners (one on a single and one on a walk). Although these base-runners created an interesting suggestion of instant action, neither team would be able to score. As the game progressed, however, this highly anticipated pitch...

Fresh off of a dazzling 12-6 victory on Thursday afternoon, the San Francisco Giants entered AT&T Park on Friday night with the sole desire of securing yet another victory and pulling ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West Standings. Tonight’s game would feature twelve-year-veteran starting pitcher Matt Cain, and, making his MLB debut, rookie starting pitcher Ross Stripling. With Buster Posey receiving a well-deserved rest, San Francisco would turn to reserve catcher Trevor Brown this evening, in hopes that he would assist in production for a currently sizzling-hot offensive Giants’ squad. As the game progressed, however, neither the Dodgers nor the Giants seemed capable of producing the astounding offensive figures which had been present in yesterday’s contest. In the first four innings, Los Angeles merely connected for two hits and a four-pitch walk off of Giants’ starter Matt Cain. Meanwhile, the San Francisco offense was completely blan...

As the San Francisco Giants plane touched down in the Bay Area for the first time this regular season, the team was finally allowed to shift their focus from the Midwest to their home-opening opponent – the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Entering this afternoon’s contest, the Dodgers boasted a 3-0 regular season record, and were yet to allow a single run on the young campaign. And backed by deceptive left-hander Alex Wood, today’s game seemed prime to continue this undesirable Los Angeles trend. Indeed, following a pair of unlucky breaks for San Francisco, Los Angeles managed to convert two early strikes in the second inning, immediately putting the Giants in a formidable situation. Nevertheless, the Dodgers did not seem content with this 2-0 advantage, as Adrian Gonzalez batted in Yasiel Puig in the third inning, and Scott Van Slyke knocked in Corey Seager in the fifth. When the bottom half of the fifth inning rolled around, the Giants seemed to be in serious jeopardy ...