The Major League Baseball postseason begins tonight, and the very first game is going to hurt a little.
The playoffs open with the American League Wild Card Game tonight at 5, and this is the game we were hoping the Mariners would be in. Instead, we have the Baltimore Orioles at the Toronto Blue Jays, with the winner advancing to the Division Series at Texas on Thursday. Boston plays Cleveland in the other AL Division Series, which also starts on Thursday.
In the National League, the Wild Card Game is Wednesday at 5. San Francisco plays the Mets in New York with the winner advancing to the NL Division Series against the Cubs on Friday. The other NL Division Series also starts Friday, with the Dodgers facing the Nationals.
Friday is going to be a great day for coach potatoes: playoff baseball from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Let’s enjoy these wild card games, and on Thursday I’ll post my annual sure-to-be-wrong Playoff Predictions.
Links:
- For tonight’s game, ESPN posted an “AL Wild Card Mega Preview.”
- The Mariners were eliminated from contention on Saturday and finished the season with a record of 86-76. Bob Dutton has an excellent article on what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to happen.
- Dutton’s Mariners Notebook discusses how Edwin Diaz tired down the stretch.
- Here’s a Seattle Times video of M’s manager Scott Servais discussing the season.
- John McGrath wrapped up the Mariners season.
- Times columnist Matt Calkins deemed the season a moderate success.
- Three Mariners are heading toward off-season surgery, Ryan Divish writes.
- Baseball America’s minor league transactions tell us that the Mariners sent Double-A second baseman Tim Lopes to Toronto as the player-to-be-named-later in the Pat Venditte trade. Lopes had a strong 2016 season and was a likely 2017 Rainiers infielder – but not anymore. The link has a write-up on Lopes in the Toronto section.
- Also from Baseball America, next year’s draft order. The Mariners currently select 18th. Note that this could change with free agent signing compensation, etc.
Coming Thursday: playoff predictions which will certainly be wrong!
Booth, Justice and the American Pastime 
Didn’t read Dutton’s comments but if I had to pick one reason the M’s didn’t make it is inconsistent shortstop play. That seems to me to be the biggest reason. Might have been different with Cozart. Not really an M’s fan after they leave Tacoma. I only follow a few like Sucre and Zunino. The last 5 innings Sat night was the most that I have watched the M’s all year.
Are you coining a phrase, “coach potato”? Is that where you lie on your couch for hours and second guess the coaches?
The Brad Miller trade is looking pretty bad. Dipoto can’t go into another season relying on only one unproven SS with little depth in the high minors.