REGIONAL #244:  An all-21st century draw here as the number of pre-2000 teams that haven’t yet appeared in the tournament continues to dwindle.  Since I remember less about the modern teams than the older ones, this group of teams was pretty anonymous to me.  There was a Cardinals team that had won a pennant a few seasons before, as had the Red Sox entry; the rest of the group I collectively lumped into a “might be decent” mass, meaning that for me picking a winner here was basically flipping a coin.  Given that four of the last six finalists in these regionals were Red Sox teams, I figured that I’d go with the 2009 version included here, picking them to best the Cards in the finals.  The ELO ratings indicated that my picks weren’t bad, but it seemed that I had overlooked what appeared to be a very good Blue Jays team; those ratings favored the Jays but they would have to get past a first round faceoff against the Red Sox matching the top two squads in the bracket. 

First round action

The Zoom game of the week featured two squads who were decent according to the ELO rankings, with ColavitoFan assuming the helm of his hometown 2006 Indians, who went 78-84 but underplayed by a remarkable 11 games according to their Pythagorean projection.  Both Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner received MVP support, with the latter leading the league in slugging percentage and sporting a card of Ruthian proportions; CC Sabathia (12-11, 3.22) was their obvious round one starter.  I managed the 2005 Cubs, even though I warned CF that the Cubs would do well just to spite this Sox fan.  The Cubs had a similar 79-83 record and they also had a big bat in Derrek Lee, who finished 3rd for NL MVP while also leading the league in SLG%, and Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.26) would get the first round assignment.  Things get off to a quick start when Matt Murton swats a solo shot in the top of the 1st for the Cubs, but then Zambrano struggles in the bottom of the inning and a sac fly by Hafner and an RBI double from Casey Blake make it 2-1 Indians.  In the 4th, Aramis Ramirez cracks another solo shot to tie the game, but again the Indians respond in the bottom of the inning with a matching shot from Blake, and in the 6th a run-scoring single from an aging Aaron Boone pushes the Indians to a 4-2 lead.  Sabathia holds up until the 8th, when he develops a sudden inability to get anybody out; after a 2-run double by Todd Walker CF tries Rafael Betancourt from the pen, but that doesn’t go well as Michael Barrett smacks a three-run homer and when the dust settles the Cubs lead 8-4.  Blake adds another RBI single in the bottom of the inning, and while Bob Wickman holds the Cubs at bay in the top of the 9th, the Indians threaten against Chicago closer Ryan Dempster, who yield a run scoring single to Ronnie Belliard that brings the winning run to the plate.  However, there is no Dempster fire as he strikes out the final batter and the Cubs survive the 8-6 win, despite three errors from their atrocious defense. 

The 2015 Cardinals won 100 games and the NL Central and were the #3 seed in the bracket, with a very strong rotation led by John Lackey (13-10, 2.77), who earned a vote for Cy Young.  The matchup looked a bit lopsided against the worst team in the regional, the 2009 Orioles, who lost 98 games and the pitching staff after Brad Bergesen (7-5, 3.43) was alarmingly bad.  However, Baltimore gets off to a quick start with a solo homer by Nolan Reimold off Lackey’s card in the top of the 1st, and meanwhile in the bottom of the inning the Cards lose one of their best hitters, Randal Grichuk, to injury.  In the 3rd, the O’s CF Adam Jones is hurt for the tournament and extra ambulances are called to Busch Stadium as it looks like it will be one of those games.   But it turns into a pitcher’s duel as both aces are in top form, and the Cards simply can’t stay off Bergesen’s card, where they don’t find anything in the 5 and 6 columns.  And so it goes for nine innings, as Bergesen finishes out a three-hitter and the lowly Orioles sneak into the semifinals with a 1-0 win to spoil a fine outing by Lackey.  

The 2008 Twins were the #3 seed in this group, winning 88 games with Joe Mauer coming in 4th for MVP; Scott Baker (11-4, 3.45) led a rotation that would need the help of a dominating Joe Nathan if the team were to get very far.  The 2015 Dodgers squeaked past .500 with 82 wins, thanks mainly to Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (21-5, 2.28) and MVP runner-up Matt Kemp making the Dodgers basically a two-man show.  The Twins get to Kershaw in the top of the 1st in the form of an RBI single by Jason Kubel that scores the fleet Denard Span, but a sac fly by Rod Barajas in the bottom of the inning quickly resets the game.  But Kershaw continues to struggle in the 2nd, as the Twins load the bases for a 2-run single from Span, then followed by a 3-run blast by Justin Morneau and Minnesota moves out to a sturdy 6-1 lead.  Things don’t look any better for the Dodgers when Barajas has to exit the game with an injury to end the 3rd,  Kershaw then seems to regain his stuff, and Kemp’s sac fly in the 5th narrows the gap a bit, but Baker is good enough even though he yields a run on a fielder’s choice by PH Casey Blake in the 9th.  Nonetheless, he whiffs Jamey Carroll for the final out to preserve the pen and send the Twins to the semis with a 6-3 win over a Cy Young winner.  

The top matchup of the regional was taking place in the first round, with the #1 seeded 2015 Blue Jays facing the 2009 Red Sox.   The Jays won 93 games and the AL East before succumbing in the ALCS, and they boasted a formidable lineup led by AL MVP Josh Donaldson and an excellent rotation with midseason pickup David Price (18-5, 2.45) being the runner-up for the Cy Young award.  But the Red Sox were no slouch, winning 95 games to make the postseason as a wild card; Kevin Youklis and Jason Bay both finished in the top 10 for MVP, and although their rotation led by Jon Lester (15-8, 3.41) was not as deep as the Jays, their team defense was considerably better.  Price runs into trouble quickly, allowing a single and three walks in the top of the 1st, but Boston can only convert one run that scores on a Bay double play ball.  The Jays get a rally from the bottom of the order in the 2nd and Jose Reyes ties it with a two-out single, and I cost them another run in the 3rd as 1-13 Jose Bautista is out trying to score on a Donaldson double.  However, Edwin Encarnacion then comes through with a two out single to score Donaldson and the Jays do take the lead nonetheless.  They get another run in the 5th on a Donaldson homer, which could have been more if Bautista hadn’t hit into a DP immediately prior.  Still, that allows the Jays to enter the 6th with a 3-1 lead where they can begin to make some defensive adjustments.  Bautista continues his all-around bad day in the 7th by getting injured, which doesn’t help the Jays defensive situation, and when JD Drew leads off the 8th with a homer it’s now a one-run game.  Toronto tries to stick with Price, but he’s undone by a two-out, three-base error by injury replacement RF-4 Ezequiel Carrera that drives in another to tie the game and Mark Lowe is summoned from the pen to get the third out.  With the game now tied, a leadoff walk to Encarnacion and the Red Sox waste no time going to closer Jonathan Papelbon; he gets two outs but then issues a walk and defensive replacement Ben Revere then gives the ball a midnight ride for a double that scores Encarnacion and the Jays hold a slim lead heading into the 9th.  Lowe whiffs two straight to bring up the top of the Boston order; speedy Jacob Ellsbury singles but the AA stealer doesn’t risk the SB against C-1 Russell Martin, and that proves wise as Drew laces a double into the corner and Ellsbury races home with the tying run.  That means it’s now up to Papelbon, and he gets two quick outs but then Donaldson draws a walk and the red-hot Encarnacion singles, with Donaldson stopping at second as the winning run.  That brings up DH Chris Colabello; it’s on his card for a single, and the 1-13+2 Donaldson is waved home; the split roll is a 15, Donaldson evades the tag with Boston catcher Victor Martinez yelling for a review, but it’s to no avail as the Blue Jays advance with a walk-off 5-4 win in which they make three errors.

The survivors

The 2009 Orioles managed to sneak into the semifinals as the worst-seeded team in the group, but the pitching gem that got them this far was not likely to be duplicated by a bad rotation with Mark Hendrickson (6-5, 4.37) far better than the remaining options.  The 2005 Cubs were in much better shape with Mark Prior (11-7, 3.67) on the hill, and they provide him with a lead in the top of the 3rd with three straight singles to lead off the inning, with Matt Murton driving in a run on the third one, and a wild pitch brings in another for a 2-0 Cubs lead.  However, in the bottom of the inning Melvin Mora exploits Prior’s gopher ball tendencies with a solo shot to cut the lead to one, and Nolan Reimold leads off the bottom of the 4th with another blast and the plucky O’;s have tied it.  They aren’t done, either, and they take the lead in the 5th with a run that scores on a Mora DP ball, but Michael Barrett leads off the 6th with a homer for the Cubs to draw back even, and Baltimore wastes no time in summoning closer George Sherrill to try to keep them in the tournament.  With two out in the bottom of the 7th, Mora rolls Prior’s HR split but misses for a double; Cesar Izturis follows with a single and Mora beats the throw as the O’s regain the lead.  That sends the Cubs to the pen for Mike Wuertz, who had a strong appearance in round one, and he records the last out and strikes out the side in the 8th to do his job.  However, the Cubs are stymied by Sherrill, who burns his eligibility but earns the win as the #8 seeded Orioles head to the finals with the 4-3 victory.  

The top-seeded 2015 Blue Jays had squeaked by in round one against their toughest competitor, and they were hoping that their semifinal matchup against the #4 seed 2008 Twins would prove to be less challenging.  Jays fan Eaglesfly had had remotely signaled for Mark Buehrle (15-8, 3.61) to make the start, a controversial selection, and they would still be without injured RF Jose Bautista which further complicated an already ugly defense.  For the Twins rotation it would be Kevin Slowey (12-11, 3.99) and then pray for rain, but unlike the Jays they had a fully rested pen to work with.  Justin Morneau gets things started in the top of the 1st with a two run blast on his own card, and Denard Span leads off the 5th by converting Buehrle’s HR split to make it 3-0 Minnesota.  When Span singles in the 7th, the Jays summon Mark Lowe from the pen and he prevents any damage, but the Jays are struggling offensively.  Injury replacement Ben Revere converts a TR 1 to lead off the bottom of the 7th, but Slowey strands him at 3rd, and in the top of the 9th Span doubles against reliever Roberto Osuna to drive in a run and a Delmon Young single scores Span for two insurance runs.  They are not needed as the Jays go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th as Slowey finishes out the 5-0 shutout while the Jays end up with more errors (3) than hits (2).

The bottom-seeded 2009 Orioles had used smoke, mirrors, and unexpectedly good pitching to get to this regional final, but they were still without their injured starting CF and their best reliever was burned so would not be available in the rather likely event that Jeremy Guthrie (10-17, 5.04) were to get into trouble.  They were underdogs against the #4 seeded 2008 Twins, who were at full strength with a rested bullpen to support Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.05).   But Nolan Reimold quickly cuts off any premature celebrations by the Minnesota crowd with a solo homer off Blackburn’s card in the top of the 1st,.  However, things get more complicated for the O’s in the 2nd when injury replacement CF Felix Pie is himself injiured, creating even more holes in an already porous Baltimore defense, although Ty Wigginton commemorates the fallen CFs with a solo homer later in the inning and the O’s lead 2-0.  In the bottom of the inning, Jason Kubel leads off with a triple and he scores on a Brendan Harris single to cut the lead to one, and in the bottom of the 4th the Orioles defense rears its ugly head.  A two-base error by 1B-4 Wigginton leads off the inning, setting up an RBI double from Kubel, and then a Delmon Young liner gets past CF-4 injury replacement Jeff Fiorentino for a two-run triple; Young scores on a Harris sac fly that makes it 5-2 and Guthrie is gone for Koji Uehara.  But Alexi Casilla adds an RBI single in the 6th to extend the Twins lead, although Reimold hits his second solo shot of the game, and 4th solo shot of the regional, in the 8th to get the run back.  The Twins lose DH Kubel to injury in the 8th, which may prove problematic should they hold the lead and continue on in the tournament, but Nick Markakis leads off the top of the 9th with a homer and when Fiorentino singles the Twins move to Craig Breslow out of the pen to try to insure that they do move on.  He makes short work of the O’s to seal the 6-4 Twins victory, securing the 9th regional win for Minnesota even though Nolan Reimold’s solo act for the O’s earns him regional MVP honors.  

Interesting card of Regional #244:   I haven’t played in a Strat league using the “current” cards of the time at all in this millennium, and as a result a lot of the teams and players from 2000 on are only vaguely familiar to me relative to my older days in highly-researched draft leagues.  In my vague recollections of one Travis Hafner, I remembered him as a DH type who was maybe good for 20 homers a season.  If required for a trivia question, I never would have guessed him as somebody who led the AL in SLG% and OPS, as it just seemed that there were so many higher-profile sluggers during that era to choose from.  Yet, sure enough, Hafner led the league in both categories despite missing the last month of the season with a hand injury.  Those percentages were good enough to produce a Ruthian card, even though ColavitoFan largely managed to avoid rolling on it during the Indians’ quick exit from the tournament.  Brought to the Indians in 2003 to replace departed free agent Jim Thome, this season was a nice facsimile of a top Thome year.  Unfortunately, Hafner never really had another season like it, with most of his career actually quite consistent with my vague recollections of his record.  Still, when shuffling through the 2006 Indians for this regional, I had to do a double-take when I ran across this one.