MLB Bullets mows them down

Good morning. Happy birthday to my wife. Also, all four division series could end today.

• The Astros took a 2 games to none lead in the American League Division Series, thanks in large part to a masterful 7⅔-inning, 15-strikeout performance by Astros starter Gerrit Cole.
• Jeff Passan looks at how Cole brings together the physical and mental sides of the game to become a dominating pitcher.
• Ben Lindbergh breaks down that dominating start for Cole in game two of the ALDS.
• Cole is a free agent this winter and Tim Brown writes that if these are Cole’s final days in Houston, he’s certainly not wasting the opportunity.
• Of course, Cole isn’t the only ace in the Astros starting rotation. Anthony Castrovince compares the Astros top three starters to other recent postseason starting staffs.
• The third member of that rotation, Zack Greinke, doesn’t like speaking to the media. But he did manage to get out a 67-word press conference before his Game 3 start later today.
• Meg Rowley writes that the Astros remind us all of our own mortality by being so darn good.
• The series with the Rays is not yet over, however. R.J. Anderson has four things the Rays must do to shock the world and beat the Astros.
• I think this is kind of a must-read article, but maybe that’s just because I love MLB and MLS. But Brian Burnsted has a terrific article comparing the Atlanta Braves to Atlanta United of MLS and how the two fanbases (and two stadiums) are a sign of a metro area self-segregating itself. While the Braves moved out of Atlanta and into the suburbs, Atlanta United committed themselves to downtown Atlanta. Both teams have been successful, but with very different fanbases with very little overlap. (So that makes me weird in that I like both leagues.)
• Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Helsley, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation, has called the Braves’ “Tomahawk Chop” chant “disappointing” and “disrespectful” to Native Americans. This is controversial for some unknown reason.
• The Braves say that they take Helsley’s concerns “seriously” and that they appreciate his input.
• Chris Thompson points out that the Braves really don’t take Helsley’s criticism seriously or anyone else’s since they continue to promote the “Tomahawk Chop” extensively, despite claims that the team discourages it. Oh, and the Braves official Twitter hashtag for the playoffs is #ChopOn.
• Jay Busbee says it’s time for the Chop to end, although he does admit that’s easier said than done as he looks at other sports attempts to stop similar behavior.
• Stephanie Apstein argues that if the Nationals have any hope of beating the favored Dodgers, they need to get creative and unconventional.
• The Yankees have a two games to none lead over the Twins and Ben Lindbergh highlights how much of the Yankees success throughout the year has been because of the team’s tremendous depth.
• The Twins have now lost a major-league record 15-straight playoff games and Steve Richards looks back at every one of them.
• Joon Lee speaks with the Twins players about the team’s state of mind and whether they believe they can stage a comeback.
• Ken Rosenthal writes that the Twins have been far too timid in the ALDS to have any chance of beating the Yankees. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Yankees infielder Didi Gregorius is a free agent at the end of the season and Tom Verducci notes that the playoffs are a chance for Gregorius to prove his value to the Yankees (or any other team, one would suppose).
• Dan Szymborski looks at all eight current playoff teams and look at what they do best at the plate. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• The Brewers were eliminated from the postseason in part because of an error by outfielder Tristan Grisham. Here are a list of the most famous postseason blunders of all-time. Fair warning, there are some bad Cubs memories in here. But there is one very good memory in here as well from Game 6 of the 2016 World Series. It also gives me a chance to mention Fred Snodgrass. This is known as “Snodgrass’ Muff,” which along with “Merkle’s Boner” just proves that baseball of the early 20th-Century was a lot more descriptive.
• Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has told the city of Oakland that the Athletics could move to Las Vegas if the team is unable to build a new stadium. This is likely just a negotiating tactic, but Oakland does need a new stadium badly. They’d be foolish to leave that market, however. Especially for Las Vegas. (And don’t tell me about the Raiders moving to Vegas. The NFL and MLB have completely different economic models.)
• Buster Olney has a huge list of candidates for the vacant Mets manager job, including Carlos Beltran. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has denied telling former Marlins team president David Samson that he always wants to finish in second place every season. Since the accusation is coming from Samson, a known fabulist, I believe this never happened. But it’s not like the White Sox are known for spending lots of money to build a winner.
• Here’s one for all you armchair baseball detectives out there. Tim Hagerty discovers what happened to former major leaguer Fred Osborne, who played 41 games for Pittsburgh in 1890. Baseball-Reference doesn’t have a date of death listed for him and neither does any other reference source. But Hagerty found out what happened to him after baseball and when he died. It’s not a happy story, but most stories from that time period seem to have bad endings.
• Mitchell Nathanson re-writes Casey At The Bat for the sabermetric generation.
• And finally, watch Mets slugger Pete Alonso smash stuff with Stephen Colbert in super slo-mo.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.