ALDS battle between the AL East Champion Philadelphia Smackdown versus the AL Central Champion Capital City Capitals.

Game One -  Capitals 3, Smackdown 0          Aaron Nola vs. Anibal Sanchez

Smackdown looked to take the early lead in the very first inning.   After two quick outs, Aaron Nola finds himself in a jam. Anthony Rizzo boots an easy ball at first and a rattled Nola walks the next two hitters, Hunter Renfroe and Kendrys Morals, to load the bases.   Nola gets an anxious Jurickson Profar to ground out averting an early deficit.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Capitals start a two out rally of their own.   Leonys Martin walked and Nelson Cruz followed with a deep homer to left to give the Caps a 2-0 lead after 2.    

 

Both pitchers settle in blanking the offenses until the bottom of the 6th.   Francisco Lindor leads off with a sharp single to right. After Rizzo is retired, JT Realmuto Doubles to right but Lindor is held up at 3rd.   Manager Langlois decides that Sanchez has had enough on the afternoon and brings in Ryne Stanek. Stanek walks Martin to load the bases. Nelson Cruz “drives in” his third run of the game on an infield dribbler to score Lindor.    Alex Gordon finishes the frame with a strike out by Stanek.   

 

Capitals bullpen comes in to shut the door the rest of the contest and they hold on to a 3-0 Game One victory.

Game Two -  Capitals 18, Smackdown 4         Patrick Corbin vs. Stephen Strasburg

After a scoreless opening frame for both teams, the Capitals offense comes out firing on all cylinders.   They plate 3 in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd, and 4 in the 4th to stake a 10-0 lead and cruise to a 18-4 victory behing Corbin’s 11 Ks.  

Offense productivity was spread out among the whole offense as JD Martinez, Francisco Lindor, Anthony Rizzo, JT Realmuto, Leonys Martin, Nelson Cruz, Marcel Ozuna and Cesar Hernandez all had mutli-hit games.

 

Game Three - Capitals 9, Smackdown 5           Trevor Bauer vs. Reynaldo Lopez

Capitals travel to Fenway to face Reynaldo Lopez in Game 3.  Once again the Caps gets some breaks and start off hot. They plate 3 in the first behind a three-run Home Run off the bat of Anthony Rizzo and 6 in the 3rd powered by a Nelson Cruz Grand Slam to take a 9-0 lead into the bottom of the 3rd.
 

Smackdown has no quit in them as they instantly rebound with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the 3rd.   Doubles by Jake Cave and Hunter Renfroe plate the Smackdown runs. Cave follows that up with a 5th run solo HR and Kyle Schwarber drives in a run in the 6th inning to keep the game alive.   The Capitals bullpen hangs on for the win and the victory in the series.

 

Thanks again to Noel for playing the series h2h.   It’s cliche but my team really did have every break go my way.  Replaying that series and the results could easily have been reversed.   

 

The Capitals have been waiting for a full year for the ALCS rematch with the kingpin Isotopes!  We have been sent home two straight years by them, not sure we can take a third straight season.   Bring on the Topes!!!