2013 Playoffs, Week One: Division Series
Sept 10, 2013 9:42:54 GMT -5
Post by Ben (Rays GM) on Sept 10, 2013 9:42:54 GMT -5
A note on playoff tiebreakers:
1) If teams finish tied, head-to-head match-ups between the two teams during the regular season will be looked at, and the winner will be the team that had the higher winning percentage against their opponent. The score of the match-ups is irrelevant; all that matters is who won.
2) If the teams have an equal winning percentage against each other, the tie will be broken based on playoff seed, with the higher seed advancing.
National League:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (21-1-0)
vs
4. Chicago Cubs (14-8-0)
The Cubs recorded a heavy 11-1 defeat over the Cardinals in the final week in a must-win game to make the playoffs for the first time in their Pro-GM history. They finished one game ahead of the Reds (13-9-0), who lost 1-11 to the Giants, missing the Pro-GM playoffs for the first time. The Diamondbacks also make their first playoff appearance after a prolific season in which they won every game but one, setting a new best-ever W-L record in Pro-GM. For the season, the Diamondbacks defeated the Cubs 6-5 in their only match-up, so Arizona would have the tiebreaker advantage. Statistically, the Diamondbacks have the advantage in the hitting categories while the Cubs have the advantage in most pitching categories. If the two team were to have played each other every week of the season, the Diamondbacks would have won 12 weeks, the Cubs would have won 8 weeks, and they would have tied 2 weeks. The Cubs are without Joe Mauer (concussion) but otherwise have a clean bill of health. The Diamondbacks' most notable injuries are to Josh Johnson and Brandon Morrow, who both have forearm strains.
Key Players
Diamondbacks: Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez, Max Scherzer
Cubs: Carlos Gomez, Troy Tulowitzki, Francisco Liriano
2. San Francisco Giants (16-5-1)
vs
3. Washington Nationals (14-7-1)
The Giants are here after winning a tight Wild Card race against the Dodgers, which came down to the final day of the season in a match-up that was considered by many to be the biggest of the season, as the Giants faced the NL Central leading Reds with the winner guaranteed the playoffs. With the Dodgers and Cubs both winning their own match-ups, it turns out that whichever team had lost (Giants or Reds) would have missed the playoffs. The rough patch that the Giants experienced near the end of the season notwithstanding, they made the playoffs in style, eliminating the Reds 11-1. The Nationals fought a close race as well, having trailed the Phillies as recently as two weeks ago before clinching the division and the tiebreaker with one week left. Both teams make their second postseason, with the Giants having won the NL West last year before losing to the Reds in the NLCS and the Nationals having won the NL East in 2011, despite a 9-9-4 record, before losing to the Brewers in the NLDS. The teams split the regular season series, with the Giants winning 10-2 in April while the Nationals won 7-4 in August. Because the Giants have the higher playoff seed, however, they would win a tiebreaker. Had the teams played each other every week, the Giants would have won a whopping 17 of those match-ups, while the Nationals would have won just 3. 2 would have ended in ties. Statistically, the Giants have an advantage in hitting while the pitching categories are more or less even. The Giants are missing arguably their second best player, Ryan Braun, who is suspended, while Clay Buchholz (neck, shoulder) returns Tuesday after three months out. The Nationals are a little thin on depths due to injuries to Maicer Izturis, Jenrry Mejia, and relievers Christian Garcia and Mike Adams, but their key players all appear healthy.
Key Players
Giants: Mike Trout, Adam Jones, Robinson Cano, Madison Bumgarner
Nationals: Alex Rios, Ian Desmond, Adam Wainwright, Craig Kimbrel
American League:
1. Toronto Blue Jays (19-1-2)
vs
4. Seattle Mariners (14-7-1)
Both teams having clinched weeks ago, they each make the playoffs on their longest winning streaks of the season: 10 games for the Blue Jays, 5 games for the Mariners. The Blue Jays won the AL East for the first time with a 19-1-2 record, a new AL best in Pro-GM. They made the playoffs last year as the AL Wild Card, losing to the Rays in the ALCS, so this is their second postseason. The Mariners won the AL West back in 2011, despite having a 9-12-1 record, and lost to the Red Sox in the ALDS. This time around they make the playoffs far more triumphantly, as their 14-7-1 record is good for fourth in the AL by a large margin. Although the Mariners are the lower seed, they handed the Blue Jays their only regular season loss by winning 6-5 in their one match-up, so they would win the series in the event of a tie. If the teams had played each other every week of the season, however, the Blue Jays would have won 17 match-ups while the Mariners would have won 4, with 1 tie. Blue Jays beware though: the Mariners finished strong and would have won in two of the last three weeks. Statistically, the Blue Jays have the advantage in five of the six hitting categories, although it's worth noting that many of them are quite close. Not so in the pitching categories, where the Blue Jays enjoy a heavy advantage. The Blue Jays are dealing with injuries to Colby Lewis (hip) and Johnny Cueto (back), while the Mariners have a number of spots empty due to injured players, with Rickie Weeks (hamstring) the most significant.
Key Players
Blue Jays: Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Holliday, Stephen Strasburg, Mike Minor
Mariners: Ryan Zimmerman, Brett Gardner, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee
2. Tampa Bay Rays
vs
3. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers' undefeated season came to an abrupt halt in the 20th week of the season when they came up against, and lost to, the Blue Jays and Rays in back-to-back weeks, having previously tied against both teams earlier in the season. They finished the season strong, however, by defeating the Red Sox 10-1. The Rays enter the playoffs on an 8 game winning streak, including that victory over the Tigers and a 12-0 victory over the Orioles in the season's final week. The Tigers win the AL Central and make the playoffs for the first time in their history, having achieved strong records in both 2011 and 2012 but finished third in their division behind the Royals and Indians both times. With the Reds and Royals missing out on the playoffs, the Rays are now the only team to make it in each of Pro-GM's three seasons, having made it as the Wild Card previously in 2011, and having won the AL East in 2012. Because of their recent victory over the Tigers, the Rays hold the tiebreaker advantage for this series. On the season as a whole, the Rays would have won 13-8-1 had they played the Tigers every week. Statistically, the hitting categories favor the Rays 5-1, while the pitching categories are close, both in total number of categories and within the categories, although they still favor the Rays. The Rays have Chad Gaudin (carpal tunnel) out injured, while Bryce Harper (hip), Giancarlo Stanton (foot, ankle), and Derek Jeter (ankle) are day-to-day. The Tigers are without the suspended Nelson Cruz, while Tim Hudson (ankle) and Rafael Betancourt (elbow) remain injured.
Key players:
Rays: Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Chris Sale
Tigers: Matt Carpenter, Ben Zobrist, Clayton Kershaw
1) If teams finish tied, head-to-head match-ups between the two teams during the regular season will be looked at, and the winner will be the team that had the higher winning percentage against their opponent. The score of the match-ups is irrelevant; all that matters is who won.
2) If the teams have an equal winning percentage against each other, the tie will be broken based on playoff seed, with the higher seed advancing.
National League:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (21-1-0)
vs
4. Chicago Cubs (14-8-0)
The Cubs recorded a heavy 11-1 defeat over the Cardinals in the final week in a must-win game to make the playoffs for the first time in their Pro-GM history. They finished one game ahead of the Reds (13-9-0), who lost 1-11 to the Giants, missing the Pro-GM playoffs for the first time. The Diamondbacks also make their first playoff appearance after a prolific season in which they won every game but one, setting a new best-ever W-L record in Pro-GM. For the season, the Diamondbacks defeated the Cubs 6-5 in their only match-up, so Arizona would have the tiebreaker advantage. Statistically, the Diamondbacks have the advantage in the hitting categories while the Cubs have the advantage in most pitching categories. If the two team were to have played each other every week of the season, the Diamondbacks would have won 12 weeks, the Cubs would have won 8 weeks, and they would have tied 2 weeks. The Cubs are without Joe Mauer (concussion) but otherwise have a clean bill of health. The Diamondbacks' most notable injuries are to Josh Johnson and Brandon Morrow, who both have forearm strains.
| HR | SB | BB | AVG | OPS | XBH | IP | SV | K | ERA | BB/9 | QS | |
| ARI | 145 | 112 | 428 | .280 | .790 | 398 | 1070.1 | 77 | 1053 | 3.83 | 2.84 | 75 |
| CHC | 135 | 60 | 351 | .273 | .776 | 375 | 1289.1 | 37 | 1057 | 3.69 | 3.13 | 90 |
Key Players
Diamondbacks: Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez, Max Scherzer
Cubs: Carlos Gomez, Troy Tulowitzki, Francisco Liriano
2. San Francisco Giants (16-5-1)
vs
3. Washington Nationals (14-7-1)
The Giants are here after winning a tight Wild Card race against the Dodgers, which came down to the final day of the season in a match-up that was considered by many to be the biggest of the season, as the Giants faced the NL Central leading Reds with the winner guaranteed the playoffs. With the Dodgers and Cubs both winning their own match-ups, it turns out that whichever team had lost (Giants or Reds) would have missed the playoffs. The rough patch that the Giants experienced near the end of the season notwithstanding, they made the playoffs in style, eliminating the Reds 11-1. The Nationals fought a close race as well, having trailed the Phillies as recently as two weeks ago before clinching the division and the tiebreaker with one week left. Both teams make their second postseason, with the Giants having won the NL West last year before losing to the Reds in the NLCS and the Nationals having won the NL East in 2011, despite a 9-9-4 record, before losing to the Brewers in the NLDS. The teams split the regular season series, with the Giants winning 10-2 in April while the Nationals won 7-4 in August. Because the Giants have the higher playoff seed, however, they would win a tiebreaker. Had the teams played each other every week, the Giants would have won a whopping 17 of those match-ups, while the Nationals would have won just 3. 2 would have ended in ties. Statistically, the Giants have an advantage in hitting while the pitching categories are more or less even. The Giants are missing arguably their second best player, Ryan Braun, who is suspended, while Clay Buchholz (neck, shoulder) returns Tuesday after three months out. The Nationals are a little thin on depths due to injuries to Maicer Izturis, Jenrry Mejia, and relievers Christian Garcia and Mike Adams, but their key players all appear healthy.
| HR | SB | BB | AVG | OPS | XBH | IP | SV | K | ERA | BB/9 | QS | |
| SF | 152 | 158 | 364 | .302 | .846 | 421 | 1222.0 | 41 | 1162 | 3.89 | 3.14 | 90 |
| WAS | 114 | 68 | 331 | .258 | .722 | 329 | 1052.1 | 49 | 888 | 3.75 | 2.65 | 76 |
Key Players
Giants: Mike Trout, Adam Jones, Robinson Cano, Madison Bumgarner
Nationals: Alex Rios, Ian Desmond, Adam Wainwright, Craig Kimbrel
American League:
1. Toronto Blue Jays (19-1-2)
vs
4. Seattle Mariners (14-7-1)
Both teams having clinched weeks ago, they each make the playoffs on their longest winning streaks of the season: 10 games for the Blue Jays, 5 games for the Mariners. The Blue Jays won the AL East for the first time with a 19-1-2 record, a new AL best in Pro-GM. They made the playoffs last year as the AL Wild Card, losing to the Rays in the ALCS, so this is their second postseason. The Mariners won the AL West back in 2011, despite having a 9-12-1 record, and lost to the Red Sox in the ALDS. This time around they make the playoffs far more triumphantly, as their 14-7-1 record is good for fourth in the AL by a large margin. Although the Mariners are the lower seed, they handed the Blue Jays their only regular season loss by winning 6-5 in their one match-up, so they would win the series in the event of a tie. If the teams had played each other every week of the season, however, the Blue Jays would have won 17 match-ups while the Mariners would have won 4, with 1 tie. Blue Jays beware though: the Mariners finished strong and would have won in two of the last three weeks. Statistically, the Blue Jays have the advantage in five of the six hitting categories, although it's worth noting that many of them are quite close. Not so in the pitching categories, where the Blue Jays enjoy a heavy advantage. The Blue Jays are dealing with injuries to Colby Lewis (hip) and Johnny Cueto (back), while the Mariners have a number of spots empty due to injured players, with Rickie Weeks (hamstring) the most significant.
| HR | SB | BB | AVG | OPS | XBH | IP | SV | K | ERA | BB/9 | QS | |
| TOR | 160 | 64 | 465 | .259 | .760 | 367 | 1460.0 | 36 | 1229 | 3.27 | 2.44 | 121 |
| SEA | 97 | 77 | 419 | .254 | .721 | 349 | 854.2 | 12 | 759 | 4.16 | 3.30 | 55 |
Key Players
Blue Jays: Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Holliday, Stephen Strasburg, Mike Minor
Mariners: Ryan Zimmerman, Brett Gardner, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee
2. Tampa Bay Rays
vs
3. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers' undefeated season came to an abrupt halt in the 20th week of the season when they came up against, and lost to, the Blue Jays and Rays in back-to-back weeks, having previously tied against both teams earlier in the season. They finished the season strong, however, by defeating the Red Sox 10-1. The Rays enter the playoffs on an 8 game winning streak, including that victory over the Tigers and a 12-0 victory over the Orioles in the season's final week. The Tigers win the AL Central and make the playoffs for the first time in their history, having achieved strong records in both 2011 and 2012 but finished third in their division behind the Royals and Indians both times. With the Reds and Royals missing out on the playoffs, the Rays are now the only team to make it in each of Pro-GM's three seasons, having made it as the Wild Card previously in 2011, and having won the AL East in 2012. Because of their recent victory over the Tigers, the Rays hold the tiebreaker advantage for this series. On the season as a whole, the Rays would have won 13-8-1 had they played the Tigers every week. Statistically, the hitting categories favor the Rays 5-1, while the pitching categories are close, both in total number of categories and within the categories, although they still favor the Rays. The Rays have Chad Gaudin (carpal tunnel) out injured, while Bryce Harper (hip), Giancarlo Stanton (foot, ankle), and Derek Jeter (ankle) are day-to-day. The Tigers are without the suspended Nelson Cruz, while Tim Hudson (ankle) and Rafael Betancourt (elbow) remain injured.
| HR | SB | BB | AVG | OPS | XBH | IP | SV | K | ERA | BB/9 | QS | |
| TB | 184 | 61 | 573 | .264 | .822 | 435 | 1428.1 | 34 | 1270 | 3.42 | 2.93 | 116 |
| DET | 116 | 85 | 374 | .261 | .742 | 387 | 1374.0 | 35 | 1203 | 3.81 | 2.91 | 94 |
Key players:
Rays: Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Chris Sale
Tigers: Matt Carpenter, Ben Zobrist, Clayton Kershaw