more to come …
The dust has not yet settled on baseball’s regular season. With Milwaukee and St. Louis both losing Friday and Saturday, the National League Central champion remains undetermined. The Cardinals lead by 1 game. We could be headed for a tiebreaker game on Monday, with the loser trekking to Washington for the wild card game on Tuesday. … The Brewers’ loss on Saturday was especially painful. Colorado hit solo homers in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings to steal a 3-2 win; former Ole Miss standout Drew Pomeranz, who has been a stud down the stretch for the Brewers, gave up the first of those bombs to Ian Desmond. … He isn’t slated to start today but don’t be surprised if ex-Mississippi State star Brandon Woodruff, who’s been sharp since coming off the injured list, pitches at some point in the Brewers’ must-win game at Coors Field. … On Friday, State product Dakota Hudson started for St. Louis and delivered five shutout innings — with 10 strikeouts — but the Cards ultimately fell to the Chicago Cubs 8-2, smacked down by a seven-run seventh inning. UM alum Mike Mayers made a rare appearance in that game for St. Louis and worked a clean eighth. Maybe they shoulda used him earlier. … Tampa Bay clinched an American League wild card berth on Friday, with ex-State standout Nate Lowe going 2-for-3 with two runs in a 6-2 win against Toronto. Lowe has made some solid contributions as a rookie this season, batting .265 with seven homers, but he may not make the Rays’ postseason roster. … Oakland also clinched an AL wild card spot on Friday when Cleveland lost to Washington, and the A’s earned home field for the Wednesday game by beating Seattle on Saturday. Kudos to Billy Beane, the former Jackson Mets star (1982-84) now in his 22nd year as Oakland’s GM/vice president. The small-market, cash-strapped A’s, who play in an antiquated ballpark (now called RingCentral Coliseum), have made the postseason 10 times during Beane’s tenure. The team is seeking its first World Series title since 1989, and as Beane has famously said, “If you lose the last game of the season, nobody cares how many games you won … .”