Here are three things we’re monitoring around the baseball world today…
1. ALCS Game 2:
The American League Championship series began last night, with the Rangers taking the first contest. Thanks to 6 1/3 shutout innings from starter Jordan Montgomery and then 2 2/3 scoreless/hitless innings from the bullpen, Texas shut out Houston 2-0 and took a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 gets going this afternoon at 3:37 pm Central with Nathan Eovaldi taking the ball for the Rangers. He will be looking to lead the club to victory and therefore bring a 2-0 series lead to Arlington for Game 3. But Framber Valdez will be on the bump for Houston and looking to even the series up at a game apiece.
2. NLCS Game 1:
The second game of the day will see the National League Championship Series begin, with the Diamondbacks and Phillies getting underway at 7:07 pm. A couple of Cy Young candidates will be squaring off against each other, as Zac Gallen is on the hill for Arizona and Zack Wheeler on the other side. Gallen tossed 210 innings in the regular season with a 3.47 ERA and has since made two postseason starts with a 3.18 ERA. Wheeler tossed 192 innings in the regular season with a 3.61 ERA and has since made two playoff starts of his own with a 2.08 ERA in those.
3. Giants managerial search:
There are four clubs with managerial vacancies at the moment, with the Giants, Guardians, Angels and Mets all looking for new skippers. It’s possible the Brewers would make a fifth, with Craig Counsell’s current contract only running until October 31 and uncertainty around whether or not he’ll be back. Of these clubs, the Giants have seemingly been the most active, at least in terms of public reporting. They’ve already interviewed a number of internal candidates, with bench coach Kai Correa, third base coach Mark Hallberg and assistant coach Alyssa Nakken having been questioned about the opening. They are also going to interview former player Stephen Vogt, who served as bullpen and quality control coach for the Mariners this year and played for the Giants in 2019.
