The Detroit Tigers kicked everything off by doing the inevitable and sweeping the Houston Astros. They were the first team to advance to the divisional series and there was more to come. Joining the party is the Kansas City Royals and also the San Diego Padres. Sweeps are not always fun, but there are things we learn about these teams and how they got to advance or suffer the defeat. So let’s take a dive!

The Royals are For Real

Before the season even began, I said that the Royals would surprise people and be a competitive baseball team. The boldest prediction I had was that they’d make the postseason. Optimism was high based on the moves that they made. Bringing in Seth Lugo was a super smart move, as well as Michael Wacha. They went on to bolster their bullpen trading for John Schreiber and they also gave out a massive extension to superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. The goal was to be more competitive and they did just that.

One thing that stood out the most during the season was the Royals pitching. Collectively,  the Royals had the eighth best ERA and the rotation had the second best ERA behind the Seattle Mariners. That’s very elite company to be in. What we learned is that was no fluke thing and it carried over into this series.

The Royals offense produced just three total runs. Corbin Burnes slammed the door shut in the first game, but they did enough to secure the victory. Cole Ragans got the ball in the first game, pitching six scoreless innings and striking out eight batters. He also had zero walks, limiting his base traffic. Lugo went just 4.1 innings with the lone earned run being the tying home run by Ceddric Mullins. He struck out six batters. Between the two, they smothered the Orioles offense.

Collectively, the bullpen pitched 6.5 innings and only allowed two hits. They surrendered zero runs and struck out eight batters.

The Royals pitching was absolutely dominant and collectively helped secure this sweeping series. They are going to need it to continue this way, as they take on the Aaron Judge led Yankees in the divisional series.

Orioles Blowing Their Window

The Orioles window is very much open. The core of their team is very young and with a new look front office, they are going to be aggressive and spend money. It truly is a new era of Orioles baseball and it’s exciting times around Camden Yards. Furthermore, this is a team that has made the playoffs two years in a row now. However, the results are much to be desired.

The Orioles finished the 2023 season with a record of 101-61. They got swept by the eventual World Series Champions Texas Rangers. The group was still very young, so seeing that was okay. Growth was needed for this core group and it carried into this season.

It was another successful year. The Orioles finished second in the AL East. They got a MVP type of year from Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser should be in the AL rookie of the year conversation. This is also a front office that went ahead and bought in. They acquired Corbin Burnes before the season started. Also, they went in at the deadline, as they added Zach Eflin andTanner Rogers. The trade deadline was a total flop, but the team still made the postseason. And boy oh boy did it go as poorly as it possibly could.

There is no denying that there is talent on this roster. This is arguably the best group of young talent the league has to offer. However, they got smothered by the Royals pitching. Collectively between the two game sweep, the Orioles offense scored ONE run. ONE! Of their 11 hits, three went for extra base hits. They managed to have a subpar .167 batting average, .225 on base percentage, and a .242 slugging percentage.

In what could’ve been Corbin Burnes’ last time wearing an Orioles jersey, this was a tough way to go out. The window is still wide open, but what a missed opportunity with a poor showing.

The Hottest Team is Baseball Showed Why

Since July 19, 2024 the San Diego Padres had the best record of 43-20. This saw them go from being a .500 team entirely to being a perennial contender and a force to be reckoned with. Everything began to click for them in the second half of the season. The Padres had the fourth best ERA in baseball in this span as well as one of the best offenses. They completely bought in at the deadline, acquiring two great bullpen arms and they got healthy with the returns of Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish. Being at home, this was the worse case scenario for the Braves.

It is truly remarkable that the Braves reached the playoffs and went into this season without Chris Sale on the wild card roster. The Padres never slowed down and brought that hot play into this series.

Pitching wise, it was as dominant as it could’ve been. Michael King had a postseason debut for the ages, striking out 12 batters in seven scoreless innings. He was dominant and the tone was set by Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting a two run blast. The second game was then scoring five runs with two outs and chasing Max Fried out of the game. Despite Musgrove leaving the game early, he was pitching well. Aside from Adam giving up the home run, the bullpen locked things down and Suarez shut the door completely.

We learned that getting hot at the right time is crucial. The Padres did just that, but it isn’t just them being hot. They’ve been dominant and in all areas of the game. This Padres team is a force across the board and the depth in all areas is deep.

Get the popcorn ready. A California showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers is ready and waiting.