CIF-SS boys and girls cross country rankings, Oct. 10

• October 11, 2023

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The CIF-SS boys and girls cross country rankings released Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Compiled by PrepCalTrack.com

BOYS DIVISION 1

1 Great Oak

2 San Clemente

3 Mira Costa

4 Beckman

5 Trabuco Hills

6 M.L. King

7 Crescenta Valley

8 Millikan

9 Redondo Union

10 Huntington Beach

BOYS DIVISION 2

1 Ventura

2 Santa Barbara

3 Glendora

4 Newbury Park

5 Hart

6 Woodbridge

7 Tesoro

8 La Serna

9 Foothill

10 El Toro

BOYS DIVISION 3

1 Dana Hills

2 Santa Margarita

3 West Ranch

4 Redlands East Valley

5 Oak Park

6 Agoura

7 Thousand Oaks

8 Moorpark

9 Canyon/Canyon Country

10 Mission Viejo

BOYS DIVISION 4

1 St. Francis

2 JSerra

3 Palos Verdes

4 St. John Bosco

5 Foothill Technology

6 South Pasadena

7 Cathedral

8 Oaks Christian

9 Harvard-Westlake

10 Rim of the World

BOYS DIVISION 5

1 Ontario Christian

2 St. Margaret’s

3 Woodcrest Christian

4 Viewpoint

5 Brentwood

6 Windward

7 Hawthorne MSA

8 Crossroads

9 Flintridge Prep

10 Desert Christian

GIRLS DIVISION 1

1 Santiago/Corona

2 Trabuco Hills

3 Saugus

4 Vista Murrieta

5 Redondo Union

6 Santa Monica

7 Great Oak

8 M.L. King

9 San Clemente

10 Mira Costa

GIRLS DIVISION 2

1 Ventura

2 Claremont

3 Murrieta Valley

4 El Toro

5 Citrus Valley

6 Ayala

7 Newbury Park

8 Canyon/Anaheim

9 Tesoro

10 Peninsula

GIRLS DIVISION 3

1 Dana Hills

2 West Torrance

3 Yorba Linda

4 Shadow Hills

5 North Torrance

6 Oak Park

7 Thousand Oaks

8 South Torrance

9 Santa Margarita

10 Moorpark

GIRLS DIVISION 4

1 JSerra

2T South Pasadena

2T La Canada

4 Oaks Christian

5 Palos Verdes

6 Harvard-Westlake

7 Laguna Beach

8 Rim of the World

9 Fillmore

10 Orange Lutheran

GIRLS DIVISION 5

1 St. Margaret’s

2 St. Lucy’s Priory

3 Western Christian

4 Providence

5 Sage Hill

6 Viewpoint

7 Samueli Academy

8 Hawthorne MSA

9 Pasadena Poly

10 Flintridge Prep

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers even their preseason record by beating Jazz in Seattle

• October 11, 2023

SEATTLE — Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 16 points and the Clippers evened their preseason record with a 103-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night in the second annual “Rain City Classic.”

Two days after the teams squared off in Honolulu, the Clippers got the better of the Jazz in the rematch at Climate Pledge Arena. Point guard Russell Westbrook and veteran forward Nicolas Batum, both healthy scratches on Sunday, made their preseason debuts but three Clippers sat out with injuries and starting center Ivica Zubac played just five minutes before taking a seat.

The team opened training camp fully healthy last week, but Zubac (back spasms), guard Norman Powell (strained left groin), forward Marcus Morris Sr. (strained left groin) and guard Brandon Boston Jr. (knee contusion) are all on the team’s injury report.

The Clippers, who have just two exhibition games remaining before their Oct. 25 season opener against Portland, do have a pair of healthy All-Star wings.

Leonard shot 5 for 12 from the field (4 for 10 from 3-point range) in his 20 minutes, while Paul George had three points, four rebounds and five assists in 20 minutes on a rough shooting night (1 for 9 overall, 1 for 6 from 3-point range).

Westbrook made his return to the city that drafted him, when the SuperSonics made the former UCLA and Leuzinger High standout the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft. The team left for Oklahoma City before Westbrook got a chance to suit up in Seattle. The former league MVP was held scoreless in 15 minutes but had five rebounds, three assists, two steals and three turnovers while missing his only shot – a 3-point attempt.

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The Clippers pulled Leonard, George and Westbrook with a 49-39 lead at halftime, but the cushion grew to 19 points before the Jazz erased most of it before the end of the third quarter.

Robert Covington started and finished with 11 points, three rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals in 22 minutes for the Clippers. Amir Coffey scored 15 points off the bench, Moussa Diabate had nine points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 23 minutes and Xavier Moon had nine points.

Former Laker Talen Horton-Tucker had 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting and seven assists to pace the Jazz (1-1). Lauri Markkanen had 16 points and eight rebounds, Jordan Clarkson had 12 points and five assists and rookie Keyonte George had 10 points and five assists.

​ Orange County Register 

ALDS: Rangers complete sweep of Orioles, remain perfect in postseason

• October 11, 2023

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager and Adolis García homered early, Nathan Eovaldi struck out seven over seven innings in another series-clinching start and the Texas Rangers completed a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in their American League Division Series with a 7-1 victory Tuesday night in Game 3.

The Rangers, whose loss at Seattle on the last day of the regular season made them a wild-card team instead of the AL West champion, have since won all five of their postseason games. They are going to the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2011.

“We’ve just been playing good ball,” Seager said. “Can’t say enough about what our pitching staff has been able to do and shut down some really good offenses and scored enough runs to win some games.”

Baltimore won an AL-high 101 games and was never swept in a series during the regular season, but the surprise AL East champions are done after a sweep at the most inopportune time. The Orioles have lost eight playoff games in a row over the past 10 seasons.

“Really proud of our group. They defied all the odds. Nobody gave us a chance,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “These guys played their butts off for six months. We just didn’t play well for these last three, unfortunately.”

Seager pulled a 445-foot drive into the right-field seats in the first inning, and García’s three-run homer – one the All-Star slugger admired while taking a few slow steps out of the batter’s box – made it 6-0 in the second to chase Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer, the Israeli-American pitcher making his first career postseason start.

It was the first Rangers playoff game at Globe Life Field, the stadium that was brand new in 2020 when it hosted most of MLB’s neutral postseason during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dodgers spent most of that October there, and Seager was the MVP in both the NLCS and World Series. A year later, the shortstop went to Texas on a $325 million, 10-year deal and occupies the same locker he did during that most unusual postseason with limited attendance.

With a full house for his first home playoff game with the Rangers, Seager sent the record sellout crowd of 40,861 into a frenzy when he connected in his first at-bat. He went deep seven times for the Dodgers here in 2020.

Nathaniel Lowe also homered for Texas, a solo shot in the sixth. Lowe had led off the Rangers’ five-run second inning with a lineout to left, but that came on the 15th pitch of the at-bat after fouling off nine two-strike pitches.

“I saw a team that was really motivated,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, the three-time World Series champion with San Francisco now headed to his first ALCS. “The offense, everybody was doing something to contribute.”

Seager is one of five Texas hitters who started for the AL squad in this year’s All-Star Game. That is quite a lineup for Bochy, who was hired last offseason by Rangers general manager Chris Young, one of the manager’s former pitchers in San Diego.

Also an All-Star in his first season with the Rangers, Eovaldi has won both of their series-clinching games this postseason. Those are the right-hander’s longest and best two starts since returning in September after missing seven weeks because of a right forearm strain.

Eovaldi threw 76 of his 98 pitches for strikes without a walk while allowing only one run. He was serenaded with chants of his name as he walked off the mound after the seventh – and then was pushed out of the dugout by a teammate to tip his cap to the crowd. He also won the Wild Card Series clincher at Tampa Bay last Wednesday.

“Playoff pitcher,” Hyde said.

José Leclerc got the final four outs, the first one with the bases loaded in the eighth when he induced an inning-ending groundout by pinch-hitter Aaron Hicks, who in the ninth inning of Game 2 had hit a three-run homer off him.

Leclerc took over for hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman, who gave up a single and then a pair of two-out walks. Leclerc pitched a perfect ninth, setting off celebratory fireworks inside the ballpark when he struck out Jordan Westburg to end the game.

Kremer’s 1⅔ innings marked his shortest outing all season. The 27-year-old wore a Star of David necklace as usual, with thoughts of extended family members in Israel, where war has been declared following a deadly incursion by the militant group Hamas. His mother was at the game.

Kremer was 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 regular-season starts that included Baltimore’s two clinching games: Sept. 17 to secure a playoff spot, and 11 days later for the team’s 100th win to clinch the AL East.

“We have a lot of guys who have never been to the postseason before. So this hurts, and it’s OK to hurt. It’s OK to have this kind of fuel your fire in the offseason. It’s going to take a while for us to get over this a little bit. But I think our guys will come in hunting and hungry in spring training,” Hyde said.

“Now we have experience. This team going forward – heads up. It’s going to be a really good club.”

FREE PASS COSTS O’S

With runners at second and third and two outs in the second inning, the Orioles opted to intentionally walk Seager. Mitch Garver, who hit a grand slam in Game 2, then hit a two-run double before García homered to make it 6-0.

Seager also drew another walk in the fourth inning, making him the first player with nine walks in a three-game postseason stretch. That is one more than Barry Bonds in San Francisco’s four-game NLDS loss to Florida in 2003.

Seager walked five times in Game 2 against Baltimore, the first player in postseason history with five in a single game.

UP NEXT

The Rangers wait to see if they will be going to Houston or Minnesota for Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Lincoln Riley emphatically challenges public criticism of USC’s defense

• October 11, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The kettle has been boiling for two weeks now, small hints bubbling that these USC Trojans are not only well aware of public criticism of their polarizing defensive unit – and the man leading it – but a bit ticked off by it.

You had safety Bryson Shaw, after the Colorado game, vehemently defending defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. You had quarterback Caleb Williams, as head coach Lincoln Riley was asked Saturday about his trust in Grinch, shaking his head and smirking slightly in disdain at the question. And you had Williams, after Saturday’s 43-41 barnburner over Arizona, lean into the postgame mic to follow up a defensive question to Riley and say “we wouldn’t have won that game without defense.”

“This, this whole,” Williams said then, sighing for a moment, “defense thing.”

This whole defense thing, indeed, is peanut gallery fodder week after week, the public seeing ugly results (back-to-back 40-point games surrendered! 109th out of 130 FBS teams in yards allowed per game!) and teeing off not-so-hot-takes on this USC unit. After exiting last year on the hot seat, comments calling for Grinch’s job have reached a fervor. Some of the public’s ire has started to turn on Riley for his continued support of Grinch.

On Tuesday, when asked if he felt there were defensive improvements that people weren’t quite understanding, Riley turned the ire right back, the most impassioned he’s been in front of reporters all season.

“Oh, there’s, how long do you got?” he said, making the point that if USC hadn’t missed an end-of-regulation kick to put Arizona away, the game’s narrative would have revolved around the defense’s second-half strides.

“Here’s the deal, everybody in the media had their mind made up – I won’t generalize, a lot of people in the media had their mind made up, that the first second there was any adversity this year it was, like,” Riley said, widening his eyes and throwing his hands in the air, “‘Oh my God, they should have done this, and they should have made this change,’ and blah blah blah.”

“And it’s not true … that’s going to be continued to be written throughout the entire year, but there’s a lot of great things happening here,” Riley continued, “and we’ll own the things we need to get better, but people need to make sure they’re seeing the other side of it as well. And that’s what we’ve been trying to say for a long time, and I think both myself and Caleb and some other players were venting a little bit of frustration with that, to be completely honest.”

“Y’all didn’t think y’all were getting all that,” Riley eventually finished, to laughs.

Indeed, probably not. But Riley’s comments Tuesday – accompanied by a great deal more vocal heft and hand-waving – were a direct continuation of comments last week, when he disagreed with an assessment that defensive issues looked the same as last season. Not “to the trained eye,” he said then.

The question, rapidly, has become what is Riley seeing in this defense that the layman doesn’t. What is Grinch seeing, to keep expressing the same percentage-tilted-positive optimism of the defense’s play. And in truth, the positives are aplenty – a much-improved defensive front, fearsome sack numbers and enough timely plays made to seal victories over Arizona State, Colorado and Arizona.

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“I mean, this is a unit that, I think, when you talk about the top-end potential, has a chance to really grow and get better fast … there are a lot of good things happening on this defense, man,” said Riley, whose 10th-ranked team is 6-0 overall and 4-0 in Pac-12 play.

There are a lot of things, too, though, that simply don’t measure as results. Failing to stop Colorado’s passing game in that second half. Folding to Arizona’s offense in the first 20 minutes, as Grinch mentioned the defense’s lack of execution in clogging up yardage to start. Making only marginal improvements from last year in points allowed per game (27 to 29.2).

And that’s before the Trojans face Notre Dame, Washington, and Oregon.

“I can promise you, inside these walls, there is no expectation other than to play high-level in the second half of this year,” Riley said.

His stance Tuesday, rooted in a clear belief in Grinch and his players, was a gamble of sorts: a gamble on that improvement, that this stone-castle public defense against a pitchforked mob will hold true come December.

​ Orange County Register 

‘Simple answer’ to Dodgers’ stalled offense – get Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman going

• October 11, 2023

PHOENIX — They were the twin engines that propelled the Dodgers’ offense all season.

Two games into their National League Division Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have been grounded, a combined 1 for 13 (with three walks). Not coincidentally, the Dodgers have hit .159 (10 for 63) as a team with just four runs in the two losses.

“All of us gotta get going,” Betts said following the Game 1 loss. “For me and Freddie, that’s kind of our role and we’re not doing it. I take ownership in that. We just have to figure out a way, man. There are no excuses.”

Betts soared to the front of the NL MVP race with a torrid August – he hit .455 with a 1.355 OPS, 11 home runs and 30 RBIs in 28 games. A cooldown was inevitable and Betts hit just .244 in September with only one home run and nine RBIs in his final 25 games.

Two games into the postseason, he is still looking for his first hit.

“I’m not even thinking about me, man,” Betts said Monday night. “So the ‘Me’ questions are no bueno. No bueno. I’m just focused on the Dodgers right now. We’re down 2-0 and we have to figure out a way to come back on Wednesday.”

Freeman hit well enough down the stretch (.296 in his final 28 games), but he was not happy with his swing. That remains true after going 1 for 6 in the first two games against the Diamondbacks.

“That’s what happens when you have a terrible swing. You foul balls off yourself,” Freeman said of a foul off the inside of his right knee in the seventh inning of Game 2.

“Same way I’ve been feeling for about six weeks, cutting my swing off. So, I’ve got a couple days to figure it out.”

In the aftermath of the Game 2 loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he didn’t want to overemphasize the need for Betts and Freeman to get going. But he acknowledged Tuesday that “the simple answer (to waking the offense) is getting Mookie and Freddie going” but the responsibility belongs to “everybody” if the Dodgers are going to extend their lives in this best-of-five series.

“I think it’s just one of those things where it’s two games and I understand that things are more magnified, but one game, one at-bat could change things,” Roberts said. “That’s what my expectation is.

“I was joking with Freddie, I think it was in ’21 (when the Atlanta Braves beat the Dodgers in the NLCS), where he had two really bad games against us. Then he came back in that third game with a base hit to left field and another one. And then he took off. So for me, it can change with one at-bat. And I expect the same thing with Mookie.”

CHANGE UP

Roberts said he is considering some changes to the “structure” of the Dodgers’ lineup in response to the poor performances in the first two games.

“I think it’s something that I’m going to think about tonight. I’ve thought about it today,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “There is that balance of looking at it, it’s only two games, but the other part of it is that sense of urgency because this is do or die now.”

The Dodgers will face a third consecutive right-handed starting pitcher, rookie Brandon Pfaadt. But Kiké Hernandez or Chris Taylor could be in the starting lineup regardless.

“It’s something I’m certainly contemplating,” Roberts said.

EMPTY THE TANK

In the final weeks of the regular season, the Dodgers talked to veteran right-hander Lance Lynn about pitching more aggressively early in games and not saving anything for later in the game. With Ryan Pepiot lined up to share the bulk of Game 3, Lynn has taken that to heart.

“During the regular season there’s different things that are needed, different starts,” Lynn said. “In the postseason, when they give you the ball you go get as many outs for as long as you can. That’s the only thing that matters. Obviously, there’s no saving anything. So you’re just trying to make pitches, make quality pitches and not let them score. It’s that simple.”

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Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior acknowledged that “it’s probably an adjustment” for Lynn who has been known as an ‘innings-eater’ throughout his career.

“I think the thing that we’ve been harping on, as with all our guys, just worry about the hitter that’s in front of you right now,” Prior said. “Let’s not worry about four innings, six innings, something. I think that’s … definitely from a past era. But at the end of this, we just talked about, just keep making pitches, quality pitches, one after another.

“I think he was coming from a different place where things were run a little bit different and there was a little bit more expected of him. But I think right now, we’re in a position where we just want you to chew up outs until we feel like you’re good. I think he understands that.”

UP NEXT

NLDS Game 3 – Dodgers (RHP Lance Lynn, 13-11, 5.73 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Brandon Pfaadt, 3-9, 5.72 ERA), Wednesday, 6:07 p.m., TBS, 570 AM, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Roof open or closed, Dodgers pitcher Lance Lynn likes Arizona’s Chase Field

• October 11, 2023

The last time Lance Lynn started a game at Chase Field, he was wearing a Team USA uniform in the World Baseball Classic. It was March, and his opponent was a Canadian team featuring Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman and few other major league hitters.

The last time Lynn pitched at Chase Field in a major league setting, he wore a Texas Rangers uniform. It was April 2019 and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup featured exactly two players still active for them in the National League Division Series, Christian Walker and Ketel Marte.

The game was notable in one regard: the roof was open, a peculiar quirk for a park that historically plays in a pitcher’s favor when the roof is closed. On this day, Lynn allowed only one run over six innings in a 5-2 Rangers victory.

Excluding the WBC, Lynn has pitched in Phoenix three times with the roof open (15 innings, five earned runs allowed) and three times with the roof closed (18 innings, seven earned runs allowed). He is unusually averse to the historical effects of Chase Field’s roof.

“It’s a good ballpark,” Lynn said Tuesday. “The fans, they’re always into the game. For me, the mound’s got a good feel to it. So when you get on the mound you feel comfortable with, you’ve got to make pitches, execute. Out here, I’ve done that for the most part.”

The Dodgers expect the roof to be open when Lynn starts Game 3 of the NLDS on Wednesday. The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s – only a shade cooler than it was on Sept. 29, the last time the roof was open in Phoenix for a game between the D-backs and Houston Astros.

Historically, the roof has mattered a lot. In 2002, then-Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling was convinced that fly balls were carrying farther to left field. So he asked the team owner, Jerry Colangelo, to close the roof for each of his starts.

Schilling got his wish “until the club was flooded with e-mails and phone calls from angry fans,” the AP reported at the time. From then on, the weather – not the starting pitcher – would dictate whether or not the roof would be closed at game time.

One study of Chase Field’s roof effects looked at every Diamondbacks plate appearance from 1998-2015 and determined that on-base plus slugging percentage (.802 to .761) and runs per game (5.08 to 4.56) were higher with the roof open than closed.

Then, prior to the 2018 season, the Diamondbacks installed a humidor at their home park in an effort to normalize the run-scoring environment. The effect has been dramatic.

With the roof closed in 2023, Chase Field was the third-hardest domed stadium (out of MLB’s eight enclosed ballparks) to score in, according to Statcast. Only T-Mobile Park in Seattle was less homer-friendly with a closed roof.

In theory, that’s a big deal. No pitcher allowed more home runs in 2023 than Lynn (44 homers in 32 starts). The Dodgers have yet to see a starting pitcher complete even two innings in the NLDS, and now face elimination in Game 3 down two games to none. Anything to help Lynn keep the ball in the ballpark should be a blessing. So, close the roof, right?

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With the roof open in 2023, Chase Field was still the fourth-stingiest park for allowing home runs, according to Statcast. Only Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, Cleveland’s Progressive Field, and Houston’s Minute Maid Park were stingier. The overall scoring environment was boosted by a higher-than-expected number of triples and doubles, so Chase ranked ninth out of the 29 open-air facilities in hitter-friendliness, according to Statcast.

But for a pitcher burned often by home runs, there is perhaps no better park to start in.

“As part of the math, yeah, Arizona doesn’t play as homer-friendly as it used to,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, on the eve of the NLDS. “We’ve got some guys, some fly-ball guys, so to know the longball is suppressed a little in that ballpark doesn’t hurt certain guys’ cases.”

Ordinarily, Lynn’s 4-0 career record and 3.27 ERA at Chase Field might matter little, considering how long it’s been since he pitched there. But for a Dodgers team desperate for innings from their starter – and desperate for Lynn to keep the ball in the park – they can only hope what’s past is prologue.

Dodgers pitcher Lance Lynn looks on from the dugout during a simulated game last week at Dodger Stadium. Lynn will be on the mound to start Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night in Phoenix as the Dodgers try to avoid being eliminated. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

​ Orange County Register 

Recipe: Fried Onion Burgers, an Oklahoma specialty, make an irresistible meal

• October 11, 2023

Fried Onion Burgers feature sliced onions mixed in with the ground beef. (Photo courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Fried Onion Burgers are an Oklahoma specialty, a version that boasts a crisp crust of caramelized onions on the meat patty. It’s a technique that can turn burgers into an irresistible meal.

The raw onion isn’t layered on top of the meat. Instead, the 1/8-inch thick onion slices are salted and wrung out in a clean towel to remove excess water. Ground beef is formed into balls and pressed against a mound of onions to form a patty and in the process the onions stick.

Traditionally these burgers are topped with slices of American cheese. That’s fine, but I prefer sliced cheddar or provolone. If you like, you can butter and grill the buns, and then top with lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

Fried Onion Burgers

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 large yellow onion, halved, placed cut side down, cut into 1/8-inch thick crosswise slices

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divide use

3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided use

1 pound (85 percent lean) ground beef

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

4 slices American cheese (4 ounces)

4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss onions with 1 teaspoon salt in colander and let sit for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Transfer onion to clean dish towel, gather edges, and squeeze onion dry. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2. Divide onion mixture into 4 equal mounds on rimmed baking sheet. Divide ground beef into 4 equal portions, then gently shape into balls. Place beef balls on top of onion mounds and flatten beef firmly so onions adhere and patties measure 1/4-inch thick.

3. Season patties with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Melt butter and oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet onion side down and cook until onion is deep golden brown and beginning to crisp around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip patties, increase heat to high, and continue to cook until well browned on second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Place 1 slice American cheese on each bun bottom. Serve burgers on buns.

Source: “The Modern Pantry” from America’s Test Kitchen

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.

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​ Orange County Register 

NLDS: Phillies look to put stunning Game 2 meltdown behind them

• October 11, 2023

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Take the results at face value and maybe there’s enough reason for the Phillies to believe they’re in the same encouraging spot as a year ago. They won an opener in Atlanta, then lost a second game.

Philadelphia returned home tied 1-1 in the 2022 National League Division Series – just like this season – then won two at home behind a thunderous Philly crowd.

But if you are a believer in momentum heading into Game 3 on Wednesday, then the Braves just might be the team to beat.

A day removed from Game 2’s meltdown, when just a few Phillies stragglers worked out at Citizens Bank Park, the inconceivable series of events that turned the team from the brink of a series sweep was still being unraveled.

• How did ace Zack Wheeler take a no-hit bid and a 4-0 lead into the sixth, only to start the collapse when he gave up Travis d’Arnaud’s two-run homer in the seventh?

• How could the Phillies have left 11 runners on base?

• And what about Bryce Harper’s baserunning? The two-time NL MVP committed a baserunning blunder when he rounded second base and was doubled up. A great catch by Michael Harris II and an alert backup and throw by Austin Riley sealed the Braves’ 5-4 win that evened the best-of-five series at one each.

Those were just the main talking points.

Trea Turner’s defense, Manager Rob Thomson’s handling of his pitchers and more were all packed inside the postseason powder keg that went off in the late innings in Atlanta.

Philadelphia said all the right things in the clubhouse after Game 2. Nick Castellanos said the Phillies “thrive after we get punched in the face, man.” Thomson and Game 3 starter Aaron Nola said vibes were good in Philly, especially with a needed day off to regroup.

“This is a tough team, resilient team,” Thomson said Tuesday. “I expect nothing less than these guys coming in here tomorrow and getting after it.”

With good reason, of course.

The Phillies are 24-11 in the postseason at Citizens Bank, the top postseason winning percentage for any team in any park with a minimum of 20 games. The Phillies lost 3-0 at Atlanta in Game 2 last season, then won Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS at home in front of a raucous home crowd that rattled the Braves.

“It’s as nuts of place as I’ve ever been, that’s for sure,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “There may be a few guys that have not experienced that until they get there. I’m sure these guys are talking about it. But I think for the most part, when you’ve been through what these guys have been through, you know what, it kind of jacks them up, too.”

Last season’s results are a nice memory for the Phillies

The Braves – who did not announce a Game 3 starter – are coming to Philly this week to finish the job.

“I think the momentum came back onto our side,” Braves reliever A.J. Minter said. “But with that being said, I mean, we have to continue to play really good baseball. And I don’t think we’ve, we came in obviously slow the past two games, and we can’t afford to keep doing that and relying on coming back in the later innings. So there’s definitely some stuff we need to clean up, on both sides, pitching and hitting, because this team is not going to give in, and they’re at home in Philly. You know they’re going to be excited.”

Nola, eligible for free agency after the World Series, tossed seven shutout innings against the Miami Marlins in a Game 2 win of their NL Wild Card Series. Nola gave up five hits, walked two and struck out six in six-plus innings against the Braves in a Game 3 NLDS win last season.

Nola pitched six shutout innings against the Braves in June in his only start this season.

“It’s just good to be back home with our home crowd,” Nola said. “We got three games left to do something. So we just got to take it game by game. It’s going to be a tough one, but it starts tomorrow.”

Not like the Phillies need any motivation to squash Atlanta’s good will as it boarded a plane, but stories that Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia cackled in the clubhouse over Harper’s baserunning blunder quickly surfaced after Game 2. Arcia cracked, “ha-ha, atta-boy, Harper” in the celebratory moments after the win, Fox reported.

Just what Harper needs, a little extra poke to stir the usually sensational postseason star.

“I don’t think anybody needs any motivation right now,” Thomson said. “But if that adds to our motivation, that’s great.”

​ Orange County Register