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There’s another wild card game tonight. If you feel disappointed about the Cubs, just remember that a team that won at least 97 games during the regular season is going home for the winter after tonight, and possibly a team that won 101 games will be one-and-done.
Feel better now? (I didn’t think so.)
Yankees lineup:
Your 2018 Yankees AL Wild Card lineup...@sapsports pic.twitter.com/Hw96R8wDza
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 3, 2018
Athletics lineup:
The Wild Card Squad.#WinForHeroTown pic.twitter.com/truY0QXiPz
— Oakland Athletics ⚾️ (@Athletics) October 3, 2018
Luis Severino, RHP vs. Liam Hendriks, RHP
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Luis Severino is one of the best pitchers in the game and posted a solid 4.8 bWAR season. He was third in A.L. Cy Young voting last year and will probably get some downballot consideration this year as well.
He made two starts against the A’s this year. The one in May was very good, but the A’s pounded him hard just about a month ago. So, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The A’s are going with a bullpen game today. This is perhaps a first in a postseason game, but Oakland doesn’t have dominant starters and their pen is very good. Liam Hendriks gets the call to be on the mound first (I wouldn’t really call him a “starter”) and here are a few relievers who will likely follow.
Hendriks spent part of this year in Triple-A and only made 25 appearances for the A’s covering 22 innings.
FWIW, he was a Cub for 10 days in December 2013, claimed from the Orioles on waivers before Theo & Co. let him go to the Twins. And in another sort-of Cubs connection, he was acquired by the A’s from the Blue Jays in November 2015... for Jesse Chavez.
Today’s game is on TBS. Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling and Dennis Eckersley (analysts) and Lauren Shehadi (field reporter).
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
This will be the only thread for tonight’s game. Enjoy, and discuss amongst yourselves.