Saturday October 6th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto: It was the night of the “non-favorites” on Friday with the two “do or die” Wild Card games taking center stage. The Cardinals escaped a hostile environment at Turner Field (more on that later), while the Orioles beat the Rangers to begin a very long and painful offseason for the Rangers’ management group.

Here’s how each game went down:

St.Louis Cardinals (6) AT Atlanta Braves (3)- Cardinals will play Washington Sunday in game one of the NLDS

The storyline in this game wasn’t Chipper Jones’s career coming to an end, nor was it a specific play which defined the game. The storyline was a bad call by the umpires. More specifically, the added left field umpire.

The Braves were down 6-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning. They had failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities to cut into the Cardinals lead. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons veered too far into the base path with runner on first and third and one out while trying to bunt. The ball ticked off Simmons’s helmet and kicked down the right field line. Originally, two runs would’ve scored on the play had the call not been reversed, but upon further review, Simmons did indeed interfere with the throw, and both runners were brought back to their respective bases while Simmons was ruled out. In that situation, a simple ground ball would’ve done the trick with his above average speed.

The umpires would again get tested in the eighth. With runners on second and third and one out, Simmons again caused controversy. He slapped a weak fly ball into shallow left field. The Cardinals defense lapsed which allowed the ball to drop between the left fielder and shortstop. But the left field umpire called an infield fly, and from there, the game turned into an embarrassment.

The fans at Turner Field began to throw clutter onto the field while both teams quickly retreated to their respective dugouts, avoiding the disaster. In fact, Braves’ skipper Fredi González protested the game on the field, but after, he was informed that the protested stood.

Fans continued to throw garbage during the lengthy delay. The situation didn’t change, Simmons was called out, and the Braves had runners on second and third with one out, instead of the bases loaded with one out. While a scoring play would have to follow, the umpires clearly put a dent in the Braves’ chances of winning. And yes, it was the wrong call assuming that there’s no such thing as an outfield fly rule.

In the chaos, Chipper Jones’ last game was overshadowed. The guy who received presents, standing ovations, and much, much more during his last trip around the various ball parks and cities, didn’t get much appreciation on the night that really mattered. Win or lose, the great Chipper Jones should’ve received a little more respect much like the great Bobby Cox did in 2010 when the Braves were eliminated by the Giants in the division series.

One word to describe the scene—classless.

Baltimore Orioles (5) AT Texas Rangers (1)- Orioles move on to face Yankees in ALDS beginning Sunday

The umpires didn’t rule the headlines in this game, but Josh Hamilton certainly did his part to cause a disaster.

Hamilton, who dropped a fly ball on Wednesday that was part of Texas’s 12-5 division losing loss to the A’s, didn’t fare much better on Friday. He struck out two times in part of his 0-4 effort to save the Rangers’ season. The boos came down early and often for the 2010 MVP winner, who doesn’t seem interested in returning to the lone star state this offseason based on his post game comments. The fans seem done with him as well showed by their efforts to pick on the slugger.

Hamilton was on top of the world for the first two months of the season. He was seemingly a lock to win his second MVP award in three years, and was even a triple crown contender. However, his tendency to flip the switch on and off is something that might doom him of cashing in on a $25+ million contract this offseason.

To make matter worse, the Rangers didn’t pick him up. Joe Saunders locked them up for 5.2 innings, allowing just one run which was on a Hamilton double play ball.

As expected, the Orioles bullpen was turned to early. Darren O’Day pitched two scoreless innings, while Brian Matusz and Jim Johnson secured the win. Johnson gave the Rangers a bit of hope in the ninth inning with some chaos. Texas loaded the bases with two outs, but David Murphy flew out softly to left field to bring the Rangers’ season to a disappointing end. An end that’s drawing comparisons to the Red Sox’ collapse last year.

The surprising story of the Orioles will continue. Their knack of getting the big hit, and of course, their bullpen are their two best assets heading into the division series against the Yankees. Now we will find out if the fairy tale season will continue for Baltimore…or if the clock is about to strike midnight.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

Jake Dal Porto is a Baseball Writer with MLB reports and a student from the Bay Area. Jake’s favorite sports moment was when the Giants won the World Series back in 2010. He loves to use sabermetrics in his work. He thinks they are the best way to show a player’s real success compared to the basic stats such as ERA, RBIs, and Wins. Jake also enjoys interacting and debating with his readers. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @TheJakeMan24

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