German_Force » It almost worked

CHICAGO (AP) — An anticipated showdown between Jacob deGrom and Cole Hamels will be decided without them — and a day later Brian Flynn Jersey , to boot.The game between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets was suspended with the score tied at 1 in the top of the 10th inning Tuesday night following a rain delay of 53 minutes.The game will resume Wednesday at noon. The finale of the three-game series, scheduled for 1:20 p.m., will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the suspended game.Tuesday’s showdown featured the marquee matchup of deGrom and Hamels — the ERA leader in the majors versus one of the hottest pitchers in the league — and didn’t disappoint.DeGrom settled for a no-decision despite throwing eight strong innings. He allowed a run and eight hits, struck out 10 and walked one, lowering his ERA to 1.68.“He continues to go out there with confidence and continues to make pitches in big situations and gives us a chance to win,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.After going the distance in his last start for Chicago’s only complete game of the season, Hamels was lifted for a pinch hitter after five scoreless innings and 93 pitches. He allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked three while lowing his ERA to 0.69 in six starts since being traded from Texas to the Cubs in late July.“To put up zeroes are great, giving the team an opportunity to win,” Hamels said, “but first and foremost you want to go deep in the ballgame.”Brandon Kintzler took over in the sixth and immediately found trouble. Todd Frazier led off with a single and Jay Bruce followed with a walk. After Kevin Plawecki grounded out to third to advance both runners, lefty Jorge De La Rosa came on and got Brandon Nimmo to pop out to shortstop.DeGrom then hit a sharp grounder to the left side. Baez fielded the ball on the outfield grass Abraham Almonte Jersey , but had no play, allowing Frazier to score and give New York a 1-0 lead.Chicago tied it in the seventh. Kyle Schwarber led off with a single and Albert Almora Jr. tried to sacrifice him to second, but bunted the ball right to deGrom, who fired to second for the force out. Pinch-hitter Ben Zobrist then hit a sharp grounder that went under the glove of Bruce at first base and rolled into right, putting runners on the corners with one out.David Bote followed with a sacrifice fly to center that tied it.SCARY FALLWhile fielding a bunt by Baez in the fourth, deGrom slipped and got up hobbling. After throwing a couple of warmup pitches, he continued without issue.“It didn’t feel great at the time,” he said. “But I was like, ‘Well, you have to go see if you can keep going.'”ROSTER MOVESThe Mets sent veteran Jose Bautista to Philadelphia in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations. Assistant GM John Ricco said the move was about allowing Bautista to go to a contender and freeing up playing time down the stretch for younger players. The 37-year-old batted .204 with nine homers in 83 games after signing a pro-rated contract for the minimum salary in May. To fill Bautista’s roster spot, OF Nimmo (bruised left index finger) was activated from the 10-day DL. He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.The Mets also said they would not be calling up hyped slugging prospect Peter Alonso from Triple-A when rosters expand in September. Alonso entered Tuesday with 33 home runs and a minor league-leading 111 RBIs.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: C Devin Mesoraco (stiff neck) is improving and Callaway said he is hopeful Mesoraco will be ready to play on Thursday.Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant (left shoulder inflammation) continued his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa, playing the field and going 1 for 2 with an RBI and two walks before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh. … SS Addison Russell (sprained left middle finger/right shoulder inflammation) played catch Tuesday for the first time since he was shut down on Aug. 20.UP NEXTCubs RHP Alec Mills (0-0 http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-grimm-jersey , 1.17 ERA) makes his second start in the finale of the series Wednesday, facing LHP Jason Vargas (4-8, 6.96). Mills allowed one run and struck out eight in 5 2/3 of an inning last Friday against the Reds in his first start. Vargas is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last two starts. You would’ve thought the Boston Red Sox were in a must-win situation.They put everything they had into one of the greatest games — really, two games — in World Series history.Now, even though Boston is still ahead, it feels like the Los Angeles Dodgers have all the momentum.In an epic marathon that lasted a staggering 7 hours and 20 minutes, stretching from Friday night well into Saturday morning, the Red Sox put all their cards on the table and still came away with a losing hand.Max Muncy led off the bottom of the 18th with a walk-off homer, finally finishing off the longest game — in both time and innings — in World Series history. The Dodgers emerged with a 3-2 victory , cutting their deficit in the series to a now-manageable two games to one.Sure, it was only one victory.It felt like so much more.The Red Sox staggered off the field with their pitching staff in shambles, namely because they tried to get seven innings — SEVEN! — from Nathan Eovaldi out of the bullpen.Who will start Game 4?Who knows?It could be Chris Sale Burch Smith Jersey , who got the nod in the series opener and may have to come back on three days’ rest. It could be reliever Drew Pomeranz, the only other Boston pitcher who didn’t get in Game 3. It could be Eduardo Rodriguez, who pitched to only one batter.Rookie manager Alex Cora played every inning like it was the last.He doubled-switched. He played guys at positions they’d never played before. He lifted slugger J.D. Martinez for a pinch-runner in the 10th, depriving his lineup of a big bat in a game that, it turned out, still had so much longer to go.Cora’s win-at-all-cost philosophy may come back to haunt him if this series slips away.“The game will dictate the way we move our pieces and our players,” he said afterward, expressing no regrets. “We knew we had to win tonight. It was a great game.”The Dodgers clearly came out of the game in much better shape.Rich Hill is all ready to start Game 4, though the Dodgers tweeted after the game that their probable starter is to be determined, perhaps meaning Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw will get the nod. The bullpen is actually not too burned out, even though closer Kenley Jansen and Pedro Baez will likely be unavailable Saturday night after working two innings apiece.“It wasn’t how we scripted it,” manager Dave Roberts said Blaine Boyer Jersey , “but it’s a big win for us.”Cora’s first significant move was lifting starter Rick Porcello in the fifth inning, even though he had only given up three hits and a run. It hardly seemed necessary to make such an early call to the bullpen — two outs, a runner at first base — but Cora gave what has become an all-too-familiar mantra for analytic-obsessed skippers.“We felt that was a bad matchup for us,” he said.Rodriguez struck out the lone batter he faced, providing some immediate gratification. But that move opened up a parade of pitchers — even Game 2 starter David Price made a relief appearance — that finally culminated in the 12th with Eovaldi trotting in from the bullpen.The right-hander, acquired from Tampa Bay during the season and a free-agent-to-be coming off two Tommy John surgeries, was expected to start Game 4 after pitching in relief the first two games.Cora decided to go for a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, figuring if his team pulled it off it wouldn’t really matter who pitched the next game.Besides Sale, who wasn’t going to pitch under any circumstances, Pomeranz was the only other available hurler. But he had a miserable season and was left off the roster for the first two rounds of the postseason. He had not pitched in a game since Sept. 30. Bringing him in would’ve been like throwing in the towel.So Cora went with Eovaldi.It almost worked, too.The Red Sox pulled ahead 2-1 in the top of the 13th when Eduardo Nunez’s little dribbler for an infield single led to a throwing error that allowed the tie-breaking run to score.Boston was one out away from wrapping up the victory in the bottom half, only to get bitten by basically the same play. Second baseman Ian Kinsler stumbled a bit scooping up Yasiel Puig’s grounder up the middle Trevor Cahill Jersey , rushed an off-balance throw and watched it sail past the first baseman, allowing Muncy to race home with the tying run.On it went.Through the 14th, the 15th, the 16th, the 17th.Finally, Eovaldi ran out of gas, serving up a pitch that Muncy launched into the left-field seats to suddenly end a game that seemed destined to last forever.“It’s not crushing at all,” Cora insisted. “I told them how proud I am. It was a great baseball game. There’s probably people back home waking up to the end of it. It’s one of the best, if not the best game, I’ve ever been part of.”No argument there.And his team is still ahead in the series.But it sure doesn’t feel like it.