TOR 4, SEA 3; Blue Jays move on

I just keep thinking about all the Bsky posts asking plaintively for a Game 8. It was a nail-biter, fun as hell, and I'm happy for the Jays...but man, it would be nice for Seattle to get to a Classic, ever.

And for half the pool not to get kneecapped, but we have to live in this world.

Last LCS points, with knocked-out picks in italics...

Arozarena 1
Canzone 0
Crawford 2
Naylor 1
Polanco 1
Raleigh 4
JRod 6
Suarez 1

Bichette 0
Guerrero Jr. 1
Kirk 1
Schneider 0
Springer 4

MVP for us, unsurprisingly, is Vladdy. LVP...I don't know, I guess Canzone, but if you're looking at expectations vs. performance, you could argue it's Arozarena. (Schneider didn't notch a TB this series, but wasn't getting at-bats; what can you do.) Barger and Clement looking likely for the Victorino if a Dodger doesn't steal it from them.

But that's a problem for the weekend. Now, we're looking at the money. Here again, italics mean the slate has no picks left, and will fall out of the updates going forward.

110 Izzo
108 Quinn
102 Crase AL

101 MArbour 1
99 Mectomy

The rest of us, after the jump...

TOR 6, SEA 2

A number of the serieses in the 2025 postseason haven't lived up to their potential; the ALCS doesn't have that problem. A certain Mets-osity to last night's defense aside, both teams feel pretty locked in -- at just the right time for a winner-take-all game tonight.

Some individual hitters have cooled, but that's what makes things interesting around here. Points!

Arozarena 2
Canzone! 1
Crawford 0
Naylor 5
Polanco 0
Raleigh 0
Rodriguez 0
Suarez 1

Bichette 0
Guerrero 5
Kirk 1
Schneider 0
Springer 0

Vlad Jr. just an absolute monster this past week. You love to see it.

Slight realignment of the money going into Game 7:

105 Izzo
96 Quinn 2
90 MArbour 1 and Crase AL

89 Mectomy
86 Mopsiukas 1
84 Bauer Snoozical

Everyone else after the jump!

LAD 5, MIL 1; Dodgers move on

It's a mitzvah of sorts that Shohei Ohtani had the Ohtani-est, unicorniest postseason game in the history of baseball last night -- not just because we got to watch it (live, and the Bluesky timeline, which was 33 1/3 short variations on "hooooooly crap"), but because, thanks to that, the conversation is about that and not as much about the Crew not really showing up for the LCS. 

Someone made the comment on Bsky last night that the Brewers hadn't seemed "in" any of these games since last week; watching Yelich flapping at garbage sinkers the last couple days, he was overmatched, but also it looked like he didn't want to be there really. How did a team this well-oiled and dominant for six months, with that many big win streaks, just...recede?

Not to take anything away from the Dodger starters, or their professional postseason hitting attack. The team is not the defending champ for no reason. But the Brewers had opportunities and let them starve in a positively Metsy fashion. I'm not a pro athlete and what I don't know is a lot, but this specific instance of a team getting out over the canyon, looking down, and plummeting out of recognizable view is remarkable.

"Great, you've remarked, now get to the points!!" - Ohtani pickers

On it! You know the drill: picks and slates in italics are out. Relatively minor damage compared with what we'll see in a couple days, and lbr, these Brewer picks weren't critical anyway, but:

Chourio 3
Frelick 0
Turang 0
Yelich 0

The Crew's series in a nutshell: Chourio playing hurt but trying to make things happen; Turang and Yelich doing shit-all to help. Frelick does have the fewest TB of the group...but barely, notching 6 to Turang's 7 and Yeli's 8. Yelich looked worse, but I forgot Turang existed for most of the post, so he's the pool's series LVP.

In happier news,

Betts 1
Freeman 1
Hernandez T 1
Ohtani 12
Pages 0

Nobody else among the Dodger picks had as many as 10 TB for the entire LCS. Ohtani is the MVP here, and everywhere else, truly. Best "smelling a fart" faces on the mound? Ohtani. Legend. Kiké, Edman, and Will Smith doing that Victorinoid thing the lower half of the Dodger order always does in October.

All righty: the full standings, which actually complicate things more than they clarify them, because there's a clear leader and then a bunch of people splitting place and show. (And Brady's out; sorry, honey.)

100 Izzo
89 Quinn 2, MArbour 1, and Mectomy
84 Crase AL and Bauer Snoozical

81 Mopsiukas 1

79 Dunn 2
77 Winklepleck 1

Everyone else after the jump...

SEA 6, TOR 2

haha, remember this game? That ended like two hours ago? Although I think even Geno would concede that if your game-winning salami is going to become a footnote barely an hour after it happened, it might as well be because of Ohtani, but we'll get to that guy later. (By which I mean tomorrow morning, I'm afraid.)

The ALCS points:

Bichette 0
Guerrero Jr. 2
Kirk 2
Schneider 0
Springer 2

Arozarena 0
Canzone, painfully 0
Crawford 0
Naylor 1
Polanco 0
Raleigh 6
Rodriguez 0
Suarez 8

Polanco cooling off, Suarez nearly doubling his output, and a couple top performers chipping in mean the money has a new look yet again. A short-lived one, granted, but I'm letting us all enjoy this one until the admin dust settles on the NLCS in the AM.

For now...

89 Quinn 2
87 Izzo
84 Crase AL

77 Winklepleck 1 and MArbour 1
76 Mectomy

73 Fell 1, Yuhan, and Bauer Fun
72 Shotwell 1

69 Bauer Snoozical

This series goes back to T.O., and I would not count the Jays out by any means.

I'll update the NL side tomorrow -- not that many picks out, and I think only one slate got eliminated -- and do the full standings then. Anything looks off in the meantime, LMK!

TOR 8, SEA 2

...Well, Max didn't throw a no-no, but he settled in well enough, which was nice to see. You do like to watch a guy who freakin' loves it out there and knows he's got something left to offer. You also like to see a series you know is going to last for a while (it's pointier!).

Pity my reverse jinxes aren't working on the Brewer line-up, but let's see how the Jays tying up the series worked for y'all:

Bichette 0
Guerrero Jr. 5
Kirk 0
Schneider 0
Springer 2

Springer's not having that Vladdy-mash postseason, obviously, but he's steadily chipping his way towards the top of the points board for us.

Arozarena 0
Canzone 1
Crawford 0
Naylor 6
Polanco 0
Raleigh 0
Rodriguez 0
Suarez 1

That reshuffled the money a bit -- and it's pretty crowded just outside the money, too.

83 Izzo
81 Quinn 2
70 Mectomy and Winklepleck 1

69 (nice) Bauer Snoozical, Crase AL, and Fell 1
66 Shotwell 1 and DGB

Everyone else after the jump!

LAD 3, MIL 1

See my previous notes on this match-up. It would have seemed impossible that the Crew would sort of just...subside? But the Dodger pen is doing enough, and the line-up is doing what a postseason Dodger line-up in the '20s does. It's like the Brewers can't "solve" it. 

Tonight's their last chance. Here's last night's points, which on the Brewer side just will not get it done. Yelich continued to look overmatched; I know Glasnow's big, but...guys. 

Chourio 0
Frelick 0
Turang 0
Yelich 1

But on the other hand,

Betts 2
Freeman 0
Hernandez, T 0
Ohtani 3
Pages 1

Like, I guess it's the Mr. Edman show again?

Just the top tier here until I input the other game, but here's the money:

76 Quinn 2 and Izzo
70 Mectomy
69 (nice) Bauer Snoozical

66 Shotwell 1
64 Winklepleck 1
62 Crase AL, Fell 1, and MArbour 1

And a raft of slates at 60, but let's put a pin in this until my Mad Max: Old Dogs review in a few minutes...

TOR 13, SEA 4

The last couple years, when the Mets have a bounce-back game like this, we're always like, guys, save some offense for the rest of the week, yeah? Especially with ol' Husky-Eye going tomorrow, who, bless his heart, needs the back-up. (Although given my confident assertions re: the pitching yesterday, watch Max throw a no-no later. Sigh.)

Still. So many points available -- from both dugouts!

Bichette 0
Guerrero 9
Kirk 5
Schneid-er (sorry, had to) 0
Springer 6

Arozarena 4
Canzone 0
Crawford 1
Naylor 0
Polanco 2
Raleigh 4
JRod 5
Suarez 1

This battering, in all senses of that word, revamped the money pretty thoroughly, with Vladdy taking over from Teoscar as the top-scoring pick...

76 Quinn 2
73 Izzo
66 Shotwell 1

65 Mectomy
64 Bauer Snooze and Winklepleck 1

And a bunch of folks who were on THIS page yesterday are suddenly...after the jump, like so:

LAD 5, MIL 1

Maybe it's just me? But the atmosphere around this series is odd...listless. The Brewers seem tired; even L.A.'s hitters last night felt...I don't know, not apologetic, but their rallies had a "[shrug] well, this is what we do" vibe. I can't really articulate it. Yeah, it's not "as fun" for the neutral fan when the teams start 0-2 at home, but that's not what I'm talking about. 

...Well, it's not all I'm talking about. And there was points-related joy in Mudville last night, certainly:

Betts 0
Freeman 2
Hernandez, T 5
Ohtani 1
"Picture" Pages 2

Chourio 4
Frelick 1
Turang 1
Yelich 0

Mookie and Yeli dragging ass here in the LCS so far (and Ohtani doesn't look great, lbr); hope everyone gets some sleep on the plane.

And speaking of snoozing...

64 Bauer Snoozical
62 Shotwell 1
58 Izzo and DGB

57 Winklepleck 1
56 Mectomy
55 Cameron Second
54 Quinn 2 and Bingham Prime

Everyone else (and their Bax Buncy regrets) after the jump...

LAD 2, MIL 1

This is the kind of outcome that is trainwreckishly compelling for the BPP. Dominant pitching, mostly; absent baserunners, mostly; a single dude hogs all the points.

This almost always happens, at every round; we almost never know who it's going to be, just that it's going to be some medium-traffic pick x-factoring the money. I know points updates like the one below are frustrating for most of the pool, but at the same time, they're fascinating. (At least to me, since my view is usually from the basement and I have nothing else to concern myself with here, hee/sigh.)

Betts 0
Freeman 6
Hernandez, T 0
Ohtani 0
Pages 0

Chourio 0
Frelick 0
Turang 0
Yelich 0

The money turns over again at the end of play:

60 Shotwell 1
57 Winklepleck 1
56 Bauer Snoozical

55 Mectomy and Izzo
54 Quinn 2

Pretty cozy up at the top, eh what? Everyone else after the jump...

SEA 10, TOR 3

Uh...wow. I mean, it's not a huge surprise that the Mariners, after some time off and possibly fueled by leftover adrenaline as well, came in hot to the series, but I did think the Blue Jays would have a better response at the plate -- and not be quite so gettable on the hill.

But this pool is not about the pitchers' duels (anymore). What hath tonight's blowout wrought?

Arozarena 1
Canzone 0
Crawford 1
Naylor 6
Polanco 5
Raleigh 0
JRod 4
Suarez 1

Bichette 0
Guerrero 0
Kirk 1
Schneider 0
Springer 2

And it's a whole new ballgame, so to speak, in the money, as a quiet night for Toronto bats and for Big Dumper let a few other picks shine.

57 Winklepleck 1
55 Mectomy
54 Shotwell 1 and Quinn 2

53 Yuhan
52 DGB and Crase AL
50 Bauer Snoozical

49 Izzo
48 MArbour 1
47 Cameron Second

Jays have a long flight to think about what's next when that series resumes Wednesday night.

Still waiting on the totals from LAD/MIL, which so far is not a terribly point-y affair -- as I'm writing this, "chaos on the bases" thanks to a wild fly ball of Muncy's bat -- but I'll check back in with a full update after that goes final. 

SEA 3, TOR 1

Whatever "fumes" the Ms might have been running on after the other night's marathon, they got the job done; if anything, Toronto seemed a touch rusty.

Smoltz was in midseason "wait...what? that makes no sense/was there even a verb in that bromide glop" form, though.

Points!

Arozarena Canzone Crawford Naylor LLC 0
Polanco 2
Raleigh 5
Rodriguez 1
Suarez 2

Bichette* Guerrero Kirk Schneider LLC 0
Springer 4

*I thought sure Bichette would join the club for the LCS, and while he's in the dugout, he's not on the roster; guess that knee is really effed

Speaking of effed...well, not really, but it's the first time Bauer Snooze isn't appearing in bold since what feels like 2018. The money right now:

54 Shotwell 1
52 Yuhan
51 Mectomy

50 Bauer Snoozical
49 Quinn 2

I think the top 7-8 will keep trading blows like this until the weekend, hopefully with some MIL-pickers joining the fray. Anyway, everyone else after the jump...

MIL 3, CHC 1; Brewers move on

Uecker magic indeed! I spent the game under a sleeping cat, reading magazines; also magical. I doubt Cub fans feel that way, or that this Chicago team ever got its due this year, but: baseball, man.

Last LDS points coming up; Cub picks in italics, as you know.

Busch 1
Hoerner 1

Chourio 0
Frelick 1
Turang 4
Yeli 0

I know his team lost, but you've got to give the MVP here to Busch -- more TB in this series than Chourio -- and I'm afraid the LVP is Yelich. Yeah, Frelick has fewer TB, but Frelick was fully a Vic pick and is doing roughly what you'd expect from him. (The actual Victorino candidate out of Milwaukee is Vaughn.)

The departure of the Cubs picks, as well as they did for their pickers, means the departure of one more slate, which you'll see in italics here as well, and then it too will depart the full updates; sorry, T.O.

The money at the end of division-series play:

50 Bauer Snoozical
49 Shotwell 1
47 Cameron Second

46 DGB
45 Mectomy and Yuhan
43 AK Uno, Quinn, and Izzo

Everyone else after the jump!

SEA 3, DET 2 (15) (mmmm hm); Mariners move on

I am 100 percent, in the words of the great philosopher Murtaugh, too old for this shit, but I stayed up until the wee hours seeing last night's game through, and: worth it. Worth it to see an extra-innings postseason game that didn't end with a jump-scare error we were still obsessing about a day later; worth it for all the jokes and GIFs on Bluesky (clearly I'm going to have to cut a GIF of Pierzynski's "I'm bunting here!"). Not quite a where-were-you-when moment, but pretty close.

And the outcome was the better one for the pool, although the Tiger picks did really well in their limited time. 

Lord knows a seventeen-week game gives everyone a bunch of point opps, so let's have a look.

Carpenter 7
Greene 0

Arozarena 0
Canzone 0
Crawford 1
Naylor 4
Polanco 1
Raleigh 1
Rodriguez 0
Suarez 0

Your MVP is Big Dumper; LVP...I guess Canzone, but among those with better opportunities, Rozie and Suarez didn't do as much as you'd hope. And you don't have very many UN-picked Mariners, but maybe birthday boy Rivas goes on a tear in the LCS and gets himself in line for the Victorino.

Two picks out; no slates knocked out, but one zombie fell out of the money, and this is the last time you'll see those two in the full updates...and here's one of those now:

50 Bauer Snoozical
48 Shotwell 1
47 Cameron Second

45 DGB, Mectomy, and Yuhan
44 Izzo 2
43 AK Uno, Quinn 2, and Izzo 1
42 Mopsiukas 1
41 Bingham Prime

And the rest of us after the jump!

CHI 6, MIL 0

We get another Game 5 in a series it seems like hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. The booth does its best to Create Narrative, which of course is already exhausting and it's only the 10th, but mostly it's just competent October baseball. At least we get more of it with fewer distractions.

In the meantime, your points:

Chourio 1
Frelick 2
Turang 0
Yelich 0

Busch 4
Hoerner 3

Busch takes over as the top TB generator of the pool to date; has anyone taken over in the money?

Not yet...but it's getting cozy at the top. Your full standings after the NLDS Games 4:

50 Bauer Snoozical
47 Cameron Second, Shotwell 1
44 Mectomy, Yuhan, Izzo 2

43 AK Uno and Izzo 1
42 Quinn 2 and Mopsiukas 1
41 DGB
40 Bingham Prime

And everyone else comes after the jump...

LAD 2, PHI 1 (11); Dodgers move on

...There really aren't words for the utter horror of going out like that. The Phils should have beaten the Dodgers at least one game at home, too, but they didn't start really hitting until they got to L.A., and that's how you end up in extra innings in an elimination game, and a kid who can't rent a car yet panicking and air-mailing it wide of the plate. Brutal.

On the field alone! The surface-to-air missile that just hit the pool, oo-fah.

All right, let's get into it with the points; italicized picks...well, you know.

Bader 0
Bohm 1
Harper 0
Schwarber 2
Stott 0
Turner, T 0

Betts 1
Freeman 1
Teoscar 1
Ohtani 0
Pages 0

MVP here...I guess Mookie? Everyone's bats were pretty frosty in this series. LVP is probably Turner or Harper, although Pages and Shohei did even less. Kiké making his nearly-annual case for the Victorino.

The money, for the moment:

50 Bauer Snoozical
47 Cameron Second
44 Mectomy, Yuhan, Izzo 2

43 AK Uno, Izzo 1, Shotwell 1
42 Quinn 2
41 Mopsiukas 1
40 Bingham Prime

...The damage isn't as bad as I'd feared, in fact. We've lost another slate, Crase NL (and mine might as well call it, with only Julio left); it's not great -- but it's not as bad as, say, Seattle getting knocked out.

That's a problem for tomorrow night. For tonight, we're still waiting on a MIL/CHC result, so make sure I got all the points straight in the meantime, and I'll come back after that goes final with a full update.

PHI 8, LAD 1

Looks good on you, Kersh. ...Okay, this isn't all on him, but I enjoyed the part that was -- and the Phillies' bats waking up, of course. This NLDS also lives to fight another day, and we've got a bunch of points shaking things up:

Bader 0
Bohm 2
Harper 3
Schwarb!!! 8
Stott 1
Turner, T 3

Betts 4
Freeman Hernandez Ohtani Pages Ltd. 0

The money shuffles again, and it's worth noting that it's still quite crowded and close at the top -- but it likely won't stay that way much longer. One more team goes down and it's going to thin the herd. (It's also worth noting that my main slate has, as tradition demands, taken its place in the basement.) Tonight, it looks like this:

47 Bauer Snoozical
44 Cameron Second, Izzo 2
43 AK Uno, Mectomy

42 Quinn 2, Izzo 1, Yuhan
41 Mopsiukas 1
40 Shotwell 1

And the rest, after the jump...

TOR 5, NYY 1; Blue Jays move on

Not the happiest outcome for Yankee fans (or pickers). Not the most unpredictable either, though, and I'm glad the Yankees took one of Toronto and that Judge took care of business to the end -- but I don't think anyone reeeeeally saw them going back to the Classic in 2025.

Y'all want to create side action on how long Boone has a job, feel free in the comments. For now, let's look at some points -- and as you know, eliminated picks appear in italics. (More on eliminated slates anon.)

Bichette, whom I hope they put on the LCS roster 0
Guerrero Jr. 1
Kirk 2
Schneider 0
Springer 8

Bellinger 0
Chisholm 0
Judge 2
Rice 0
Stanton 1

The MVP here is clearly Vladdy; no obvious LVP, although between inconsistent performance at the plate and some dumbshit plays in the field, I'd probably give it to Chisholm. I could just be bitter. Clement and Varsho on Victorino Watch.

And now, the money. Bauer booted out of the top spot briefly...by a slate that is now a zombie. If you're new to the pool, a zombie slate has no picks left but is still in one of the top slots -- a fate that befell Bauer last year for a while, in fact. 

Anyway: zombies are also in italics; eventually they fall out of the daily update, but we've got a day or two until that happens. We've also got a brakes-beating going on in Los Angeles rn BUT until Dave Roberts comes out to scrape what's left of Kershaw off the mound, here's where we are:

44 Izzo 2
43 Bauer Snoozical, AK Uno
42 Quinn 2, Izzo 1

41 Mopsiukas 1
39 Mectomy
36 The Camerons and Bingham Prime
35 Fell 1
34 MArbour 1, Yuhan, and Drake 2

Izzo 2 is the only slate out, as it happens, and this is all going to look completely different in an hour, thanks to a couple Schwarbombs (finally!) and almost every other Phillie pick notching points. Until then, pour one out for your pinstripe picks, and good luck!

CHC 4, MIL 3

Another sweep taken off the table as the Cubs manage to hold off the Brewers' often-relentless offense; we'll have a Game 4 tomorrow.

Tonight, we have some points; Cub picks didn't have wide appeal but have proved very fruitful for a couple wise BPPers:

Chourio 2
Frelick 1
Turang 0
Yelich 2

Busch 4
Hoerner 2

Minor changes to the money here at the halfway point of play:

43 Bauer Snoozical
41 Izzo 2, AK Uno, Quinn 2
40 Mopsiukas 1

39 Izzo 1, Mectomy
36 Cameron First
34 Bingham Prime, MArbour 1, Cameron Second
33 DGB

That said, the games to this point weren't ones that could turn the pool into a haunted house, so let's see where we are in a couple hours. It's looking dicey for the Bombers at the minute, no score at Chavez Ravine yet...so fingers crossed and I'll see you later!

DET 9, SEA 3

Tiger bats truly came alive, battering the Mariner bullpen and evening up the series at two apiece. This one goes back to Seattle now; in the meantime, a decent array of points for pickers, and Suarez finally clambers onto the board...

Arozarena 1
Canzone 1
Crawford 1
Naylor 4
Polanco 0
Raleigh 1
JRod 0
Suarez 1

Carpenter 0
Greene 4

Sooo much baseball still left to play this evening, so here's the money and surrounding neighborhoods right now:

43 Bauer Snoozical
41 Izzo 2, AK Uno, and Quinn 2
39 Izzo 1 and Mectomy

38 Mopsiukas 1
36 Cameron First

Watching a Brewers' comeback sputter out right now, and Jays at Yanks starts shortly. Buckle up!

NYY 9, TOR 6

So many moments in October when you're torn between what's good for the pool and your own rooting interests...but everything more or less aligned last night. The folks at the local were happy; the pickers were happy; and I personally was happy for Aaron Judge for coming through in a big moment. That should keep the Bronx faithful off his neck for [checks notes] 18 hours, right?

A couple of...disap-POINT-ments here (Springer), but a lot of other points to go around:

Bichette 0
Guerrero Jr. 5
Kirk 0
Schneider 2
Springer 0

Belli 3
Chisholm 4
Judge 7
Rice 0
Stanton 1

Bauer still barely in front as we stare down the barrel of another four-game day -- maybe? Not sure the weather's going to cooperate here in the northeast -- so here's your complete standings, for now.

43 Bauer Snoozical
41 Izzo 2 and AK Uno
39 Izzo 1 and Quinn 2

38 Mectomy and Mopsiukas 1
35 Cameron Prime

Everyone else after the jump...

SEA 8, DET 4

If this had started on time, I miiiight have gotten to watch more of it, but events overtook us all. 

On the plus side, while Naylor has yet to get on the board, another popular pick finally notched a bunch...

Carpenter 0
Greene 0

Arozarena 3
Canzone 0
Crawford 5
Naylor 0
Polanco 0
Raleigh 5
JRod 0
Suarez 5

And it looks a bit different at the top (...for now):

43 Bauer Snoozical
38 Mectomy
34 Izzo 1, Quinn 2

33 Mopsiukas 1
32 Cameron First, MArbour 1
30 Izzo 2, the AKs, Dunn 2

And we should see another big shuffle after TOR/NYY goes final. Not sure when I'm going to update on that one, but stay tuned, and good luck/check my arithmetic!

ETA 10/8 to add Raleigh points to the update (they were already added in the spreadsheet, fear not)

MIL 7, CHC 3

The Cubs join the Yankees and Phillies in the up-against-it club with another briskly authoritative win from the Crew. Not a ton of points on the ground, but let's see what developed...

Busch 0
Hoerner 2

Chourio 5
Frelick 0
Turang 0
Yelich 3

A liiiiittle movement up at the top, but many slates just becalmed by heavily picked sluggers (Schwarber, Suarez) who haven't done anything...yet? One hopes?

Your full standings as the NL takes its travel day:

43 Bauer Snoozical
34 Izzo 1
33 Mectomy and Mopsiukas 1

30 Izzo 2 and the AKs
28 DGB
27 Cameron First

Everyone else after the jump...

LAD 4, PHI 3

It usually takes a bit longer to get to it, that magical moment in every postseason where a manager vapor-locks in a late-inning pressure situation and calls a bunt, resulting in my name being taken in vain all over social media. But it's almost always legit, and it was this time. The hell, Thomson?

Nice to see noted visual artist Bader come off the bench, though. Speaking of that: points!

Betts 1
Freeman 2
Hernandez T 2
Ohtani 1
Pages 0

Bader 1
Bohm 1
Harper 0
Schwarber 0
Stott 1
Turner T 1

It is getting very late early for Phils pickers; Phillie picks to date have amassed 5 points among them, total. Schwarber has exactly none of them. I know it's like this sometimes, but it feels pretty shocking to see this many perfectly reasonable picks just not do anything.

The money and its suburbs after the first game:

43 Bauer Snooze
34 Izzo 1
33 Mectomy

30 Izzo 2 and the AKs
28 Mopsiukas 1 and DGB

Not as many picks in play for the late game, but it's not shaping up as a pitchers' duel, so we'll see what happens. Good luck!

SEA 3, DET 2

It's a tale of two types of games in the ALDSes, really: some sloppy play and underwhelming pitching on the one side, weaknesses getting exploited; and then on the other side, well-oiled machines running in top form. Nothing against the Jays, who are a good team, but those games have seemed more like muggings than baseball.

Last night's DET/SEA nailbiter was "f yeah baseball" baseball. Good stuff.

And some points!

Carpenter 0
Greene 0

Arozarena 1
Canzone 0
Crawford 1
Naylor 0
Polanco 9 (!)
Raleigh 2
Rodriguez 2
Suarez 0

A little surprising that a couple of these Mariner mashers aren't on the board yet, but you've gotta love it when a "fuggit" pick like Polanco comes through like this. 

Let's look at the standings.

37 Bauer Snoozical
31 Izzo 1 and Mectomy
30 Izzo 2

29 AK Uno
27 Mopsiukas 1, AK Dos

Everyone else after the jump.

TOR 13, NYY 7

This final is marginally less grim than the 11-0 score we were looking at midway through -- not least because it let a few picks come through -- but man, Yankee fans (and slates) have to be in a state right now. Like, there's a faltering pen, and then there's...whatever this is.

To the points!

Bellinger 4
Chisholm 0
Judge 2
Rice 3
Stanton 3

Bichette 0
Guerrero Jr. 6
Kirk 1
Schneider 1
Springer 6

Let's just avert our eyes from the concept that Varsho, named for a Phillie and unpicked, notched a dozen TB just today, and have a look at the money:

37 Bauer Snoozical
31 Izzo 1
30 Izzo 2

29 AK Uno
27 Mectomy, Mopsiukas 1, AK Dos

Fairly significant reshuffle, and we may see another one starting in about 45 minutes -- or we may see all those Seattle-forward slates get Skuballed. Here's to chaos; I'll be back with a full update later.

DET 3, SEA 2 (11)

Well, no shortage of plot on the first day of the division serieses, eh what? I felt for the Seattle fans watching the Tigers get the bit in their teeth, but...that's why they play the games.

Points!

Carpenter 4
Greene 2

Arozarena Canzone Crawford Naylor Polanco Suarez LLC 0
Raleigh 3
JRod 6

That's all the picks officially in play, and everyone is in fact on the board -- so the Gol-Dunn Sombrero goes un-awarded for another year! -- so here's what that looks like, starting with the money:

37 Bauer Snoozical
27 Mectomy
25 DGB

Not far off the pace,

24 AK Uno
21 Mopsiukas 1, AK Dos
20 Cameron First, Wonsetler 2

Everyone else after the jump!

LAD 5, PHI 3

It's such a joy to watch Ohtani Ohtani-ing, whatever form that takes. It's a joy to do in company, too -- to be around other people appreciating his unicorn-ity. Even people who have no idea about a single other baseball thing know Ohtani. 

I have no idea about most math things but I know last night's point spread is not what you want as a picker -- weird distro, AND Bader notched the pool's second bad hammy of the day. But Ohtani kept the Dodgers in it long enough for Teo to do his thing (and for the other Dodger Hernandez to make his case as a Victorino, which he's been in the past).

Here's what we had to work with:

Betts 0
Freeman 1
Hernandez, T 4
Ohtani 0
Pages 1

Bader 0
Bohm 0
Harper 1
Schwarber 0
Stott 1
Turner, T 0

Alllllmost everyone's now on the board. The money neighborhood after this game:

37 Bauer Snoozical
25 DGB
24 AK Uno

21 Mopsiukas and AK Dos 21
19 Izzo 1
18 Mectomy, O'Reilly, Izzo 2, Bingham Emo

Back shortly with the final game from yesterday and your full standings.

TOR 10, NYY 1

It was ugly before it got Officially Ugly; that early-inning Judge whiff did not bode well. And then it got Officially Ugly -- but without quite the buffet of points you'd expect.

Well, with one exception...

Bellinger 0
Chisholm Jr. 1
Judge 3
Rice 0
Stanton 0

Bichette 0
Guerrero Jr. 6
Kirk 8
Schneider 0
Springer 0

These teams face off again tomorrow afternoon with Fried on the hill for the Yankees (I think?); we'll see what develops then.

For now, here's the money before the LAD/PHI update (and DET/SEA still in progress):

32 Bauer Snoozical
24 AK Uno
21 DGB and Mopsiukas 1

and just off the pace,

20 AK Dos
18 Mectomy, O'Reilly, and the Izzi
17 Bingham Emo, Cameron First, and Brady

Your crestfallen lone Bader picker returns tomorrow AM with the remaining two games and the full standings...

MIL 9, CHC 3

The Crew didn't get out of this one unscathed -- in addition to a couple dingers from the Cubs, they saw Chourio taken out of the game thanks to a hamstring tweak whose seriousness we don't yet know. 

But everybody eligible pulled at least one point as we kick off LDS play...

Busch 4
Hoerner 4

Chourio 4
Frelick 1
Turang 3
Yelich 1

No change to the money...but some movement near the money.

32 Bauer Snooze
21 DGB
20 The AKs

18 Mectomy and O'Reilly
17 Bingham Emo, Cameron First, and Brady

Currently halfway through NYY/TOR, so we'll see some major movement tonight; stay tuned and good luck!

NYY 4, BOS 0; Yankees move on

Not the outcome I necessarily predicted -- or the journey to it, tbh; this Schlittler kid is good, but knowing you have to put your and team/its "bullpen" "management" on your back is one thing; doing it at the Stadium in October is another.

And it's the least disruptive to the pool, thanks to the other outcome I didn't predict: a couple of Sox hitters straight-up vanishing, including one of my picks, Ceddanne "Buster" Rafaela. 

The points from the last wild-card tilt:

Bregman 0
Duran 0
Rafaela 0
Story 1

Bellinger 2
Chisholm Jr. 2
Judge 0
Rice 0
Stanton 2

Jazz and Giancarlo dodging the LVP themselves; nice series for Story. Goldie could have a shot at the Victorino if the Yanks keep going.

Not sure they will -- but that's a problem for the weekend! For now, your full standings before the LDSes get underway and the four bye teams change the landscape:

32 Bauer Snoozical
20 DGB and the AKs
18 Mectomy

Everyone else after the jump.

CHC 3, SD 1; Cubs move on

Well, the umpiring didn't help, and Darvish didn't help, and it being a best-of-3 didn't...etc. etc. Again, not a lethal outcome for the pool, but usually Machado pickers can at least rely on him for double digits before the Padres depart. Not so much this year...

Machado 0
Merrill 6

Busch 6
Hoerner 2

And those italics mean these gents are out.

Merrill's probably our MVP here; Manny wasn't bad, but is still the LVP. Carson Kelly probably the Victorino here.

Money looks like this for now:

32 Bauer
20 DGB, AK Dos
18 Mectomy, AK Uno

Bingham Emo, Cameron First, Drake 1, and Brady trailing. No real point getting granular until BOS/NYY is final, though, so hold onto your butts and I'll see you for that update later.

DET 6, CLE 3; Tigers move on

Had to follow this one on my phone thanks to my work schedule today. Feel like I've picked JRam before and it didn't work out -- and here we are again. I did wonder if the Guards' momentum would be enough, and it wasn't. But that's what makes the BPP fun! Well, infuriating, really, but you can't spell that without "fun"...?!

Anyway: the points.

Carpenter 2
Greene 2

Kwan 2
Ramirez 1

Not really a fatal outcome for anyone, but the CLE picks in italics are out.

Most valuable pick in this short series is Greene; JRam only notched 2 points to end up the LVP; and Javy Baez might end up in the Victorino conversation?

No substantive change to the money --

32 Bauer Snooze
20 DGB
18 AK Uno and Mectomy

16 Bingham Emo
15 Cameron 1st and Drake 1

-- but I expect pool outcomes to get increasingly histrionic as the night wears on. Good luck!

LAD 8, CIN 4; Dodgers move on

This series, at least in the 8th innings, reminded me of an older sibling functionally ending a scrap by getting a palm on the younger one's head. Yeah, the younger one threw a couple good haymakers earlier, but once the older one gets sick of their shit and gets a locked-elbow hold...the littler one's arms are too short to reach.

Of course, this comp doesn't entirely work given the word "arms" and the...melodramatic, shall we say, Dodger bullpen. But we'll see how it goes when L.A. has to pick on a DH their own size.

Points!

Friedl 1

Betts 7
Freeman 0
Hernandez, T 2
Ohtani 1
Pages 0

Teoscar is your MVP for this series; Pages is the LVP; and the Victorino of this short series -- the Micro-rino? -- is something called a Rordvedt.

You old hands know what the italics mean: that pick is out. Only one picker taking that hit, and all slates still alive...which may not be the case in 12 hours, so enjoy it.

Your Day 2 money:

32 Bauer Snooze
20 DGB
18 AK Uno and Mectomy

Everybody else after the jump...

NYY 4, BOS 3

This one didn't look like it would go the Bombers' way as of midway through -- but it did. More interesting, to me, was that a third wild-card series is going to the do-or-die game.

...Well, the points weren't UN-interesting.

Bregman 1
Duran 1
Rafaela 0
Story 5

Bellinger 1
Chisholm 0
Judge 2
Rice 5
Stanton 0

Wild that a couple of these guys aren't showing better, points-wise, but we do have some separation at the top, at last:

22 Bauer Snoozical
17 AK Uno
15 Bingham Emo

14 Cameron First
13 Drake 1
11 DGB, Dunn 2, the Izzi, Cameron Second
10 Mectomy

9 Mopsiukas 1 and Brady
8 Green, MArbour 1, Shotwell 2, Wonsetler 1
7 AK Dos, Wonsetler 2, O'Reilly, Bingham Prime

4 Shotwell 1, Reid Omega, SDB Prayers, Mospiukas 2, Yuhan
3 Drake 2 and Fell 2
1 The Estros

That's the board for right now; everyone else either has bye picks, or..."quiet" picks. As we're watching the Dodger offense find the higher gear like always, take a minute to check my math. (Just based on the bottom of the 6th in this nightcap, said math won't look the same in five minutes. Or...five seconds.) I'll see you in the AM for the final Day 2 update.

Day 3, the schedule looks the same as it has unless/when the Dodgers win, in which case everyone's start time moves up a slot -- so, DET/CLE starts at 3 ET instead of 1, etc. Good luck!

SD 3, CHC 0

Didn't expect a shut-out of the Cubs at Wrigley, tbh...the Cubs are a strange prospect in this post, to me. The team's been good enough all year, always in the conversation technically, but at the same time nobody really talked about them -- they weren't as dominant as the Crew, they weren't flailing theatrically either? idk. That could just be Mets-centrism talking. No idea what tomorrow brings, but if San Diego can notch another early lead, that could do it.

Didn't notch a ton of points, but Manny seldom disappoints at this time of year.

Machado 4
Merrill 0

Busch 0
Hoerner 1

We'll have some Yanks-heavy slates making themselves felt -- one way or another; possibly one way AND the other -- later this evening. For now, the money is the customary early-days hugger-mugger:

22 Bauer Snoozical
13 Drake 1, Cameron First
11 DGB, Dunn 2, Izzo 1

10 AK Uno, Bingham Emo, Mectomy
9 Mopsiukas 1, Cameron Second

And then a whole mess of slates after those. If you're a new BPP-er, don't freak out; you really can't tell much until the LDSes start. But...it can get late early if you picked a full slate of a wild-card team.

But...don't freak out! All tied in the Bronx rn; see you in a bit. Good luck.

CLE 6, DET 1

The Guardians stay alive and the series goes to a third game -- and weirdly, the unpicked Cleveland Naylor had more points today than JRam, though the latter walked three times. Baseball, man.

Points!

Carpenter 2
Greene 2

Kwan 2
JRam 0

No substantive change to the money, plus as I was typing this Manny Machado just hit one to Evanston, so I'll wait for that dust to settle before a full update. 

LAD 10, CIN 5

Based on the paralytic horror Dodgers fans seemed to be suffering on Bluesky (and the disgusted commentary of the radio booth during the 8th inning), this result was not entirely assured. What WAS assured: a buffet of points, and Mr. Edman doing that thing he does in October.

Friedl 0

Betts 2
Freeman 3
Hernandez, T 9
Ohtani 8
Pages 0

QUITE a different landscape from where we left it, and the future looks bright for Dodger-heavy slates...but, you know, it's early. 

Here's the money and some other notables at the end of the first day of play:

22 Bauer Snoozical
11 DGB, Dunn 2, Izzo 1
10 AK Uno, Bingham Emo, Mectomy

9 Drake 1, Mops 1, Cameron 1
8 Green, MArbour 1, Shotwell 2, Wonsetler 1
7 Cameron 2, AK Dos

5 Bingham Prime
4 Brady, Wons 2, Shotwell 1
3 O'Reilly, Izzo 2, Drake 2, Mops 2

2 Yuhan
1 Fell 2, The Estros

The rest of the field is standing by for the weekend/LDSes.

Identical slate/start times today, DET/CLE at 1 PM ET and on down the line. All technically elimination games, but only a couple would spell trouble for the pool. I'll see you around sunset with an update...good luck!