10 Biggest Mid-MLB Postseason Questions That Need Answering
As the postseason progresses, teams, players and results provide more and more answers along the way. Some are expected, but others? Not so much.
That doesn't mean, there still aren't plenty of questions to consider regarding how everything is shaping up and, ultimately, how it all will play out.
To determine that, or at least try, here's a batch of questions that need answering over the rest of October—and even a shot at some of the answers.
Can Yordano Ventura's Shoulder Hold Up as Long as the Royals Are Still in It?
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As their No. 2 starter, Yordano Ventura is a key piece for the Kansas City Royals. So the status of his right shoulder is no small concern after he left his Game 2 start in the American League Championship Series with tightness in the area, especially when he dealt with elbow soreness earlier in the year.
Here's the lowdown via The Kansas City Star:
"After the game, Ventura said he felt tired in his arm during his last three pitches, so he wanted the trainers to come out. He said he was not scheduled to have [an] MRI and felt good aside from tightness.
'A relief for me is that it was just tightness and feeling tired instead of soreness,' Ventura said.
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That's good news, as is the fact that Monday's rainout of Game 3 could make Ventura available to take his next turn on regular rest in Game 5, which will now be on Thursday, Oct. 16. How he looks and feels will determine Ventura's situation beyond that.
If the Royals advance to the World Series, Ventura likely would only need to make at most three more starts between Tuesday and the end of the line. As long as he's healthy enough to go, he'll go in some capacity.
Otherwise, K.C. will have to turn to lefties Jason Vargas and/or Danny Duffy to pick up the slack.
Just Where Is Michael Wacha?
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Speaking of injured right-handed pitchers, Michael Wacha may as well be on the side of a milk carton these days.
Wacha, who missed more than two months with a stress reaction in his right shoulder before returning in September, has become this year's version of Shelby Miller for the St. Louis Cardinals. The only difference is that Miller, the forgotten/overlooked/shunned starter during the club's World Series run, actually pitched last October, even if it was only on one brief occasion in the National League Division Series.
The shame of it is that after being so, so great this time last year, Wacha has yet to get into a playoff game in 2014.
As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes: "A year after being the MVP of the National League Championship Series, Wacha is set to be used as an 'extra-inning reliever,' a title that manager Mike Matheny agreed Sunday was fair."
While Wacha has been throwing side sessions to stay sharp so he can go if needed, the fact is the longer he goes without getting into a game, the less likely it is he ever will.
Would the Orioles Activate Chris Davis If They Reach the World Series?
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This may be moot before it even becomes a possibility. If the Baltimore Orioles don't get to Game 6 in the ALCS, Chris Davis won't have a chance to be activated after being suspended 25 games for testing positive for banned amphetamines.
The slugging first baseman was left off this round's roster because he still had five games to go on his suspension, according to Jon Meoli of the The Baltimore Sun. That was the right—and really only—call.
But if the O's can hang around until Game 6 against the Royals, it wouldn't be the craziest thing to find a way to finagle Davis onto the 25-man by declaring that some little-used player (i.e., Jimmy Paredes or Kelly Johnson) needs an injury replacement.
Any such move would disqualify said player from being used in the next round, which would be the World Series, but Davis' power bat could provide a lift in a big spot off the bench to help keep Baltimore alive.
And if the O's do somehow come back and reach the Fall Classic, the only thing that would logically keep Davis off the roster would be if the players decided they didn't want him back given how he let the team down.
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Can the Giants Offense Provide Some (or Even Any) Punch?
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The San Francisco Giants have made it this far despite having to get through the Wild Card Game against the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates and then the best-record-in-the-NL Washington Nationals.
They've also made it this far despite getting next to nada from their bats. Consider: Among the four teams still playing, the Giants have the lowest ERA (1.65) but also the lowest OPS (.605).
Not to mention, they've essentially scored just 3.0 runs per game, given that they played two-games-in-one back in that epic 18-inning NLDS Game 2.
What's especially surprising about all of this is that San Francisco's lineup does have some proven and dangerous hitters in Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Belt. Those four actually have combined to go 36-for-118 (.305), but they've provided next to no power (one homer!), and nobody else is chipping in.
Something has to give, though, because those middle-of-the-order bats are making contact and hitting well enough. It's only a matter of time before a few timely knocks bring on at least some runs.
What's with the Royals and Cardinals' Home Run Binge?
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In what has been a wildly unpredictable postseason so far, this is one of the best statistics: The Royals and Cardinals hit the fewest home runs in baseball this year with 95 and 105, respectively. But in October, they've managed the top-two homer totals at eight and 11, respectively.
Even crazier still is who is hitting 'em out for these two teams. Kansas City has benefited from Mike Moustakas (four homers), Eric Hosmer (two) and Alcides Escobar (one), a trio that has already combined for seven long balls—or 26 percent of their regular season total.
For St. Louis, the power has come from Matt Carpenter (four), Matt Adams (two), Kolten Wong (two), Oscar Taveras and Randal Grichuk (one apiece). That quintet has smacked 10 homers in October—or 24.4 percent of their tally in April through September.
As for an explanation? There isn't a reasonable one other than a little bit of luck. Either that or the Royals and Cardinals were saving 'em up for when it counted most.
What Does Yadier Molina's Oblique Strain Mean for the Cardinals?
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Yadier Molina had to leave Game 2 of the NLCS early after injuring his left oblique on a swing so badly that he couldn't even venture out of the batter's box on a ground ball that turned into a double play.
Here's Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com with an update on Molina's status going forward:
"The Cardinals have characterized Molina's condition as day to day, and manager Mike Matheny confirmed on Monday that the club will keep Molina on its active postseason roster. Not only does that keep Molina as an option for this best-of-seven National League Championship Series against the Giants, but it would also allow him the chance to play if the Cardinals advance to the World Series.
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That's all well and good, and the Cardinals owe it to Molina and themselves to find out if their stud catcher actually can perform, even in some limited capacity. Besides, St. Louis had added veteran backstop A.J. Pierzynski to the roster prior to the NLCS, so there are still two healthy catchers.
Don't forget, however, just how much Molina's presence does for this club in every facet, from offense to defense to pitching. Even if Molina says he's feeling better, oblique injuries are very easily re-aggravated, and if there are any doubts about his ability, the Cardinals will have to hope Pierzynski and Tony Cruz can handle the duties.
St. Louis did survive when Molina tore a thumb ligament and missed six weeks, but losing an all-around star at this stage—or worse, trying to keep him involved if his body is unwilling to cooperate—could be a potential downfall.
Will the Royals Actually Lose a Postseason Game for the First Time in 29 Years?
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The only team that has yet to lose even a single game this October? That's right: It's the Kansas City Freakin' Royals, who hadn't been to the playoffs since 1985.
Which means, after Game 3's rainout on Monday, the Royals are currently working on a rather remarkable run in which they haven't suffered a defeat in the postseason in almost exactly 29 years. Their last loss in the playoffs? Try Game 4 of the World Series, way back on Oct. 23, 1985.
Even with the ALCS well in-hand, up 2-0 and headed back to K.C. for three straight, it's hard to imagine the Royals won't drop one contest this round against the Orioles. Plus, they may want to get that first loss out of the way before the Fall Classic, should they get there.
Are the Cardinals Capable of Winning It All Without a Healthy Adam Wainwright?
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The Cardinals playoff rotation is nice and deep, thanks to right-handers Lance Lynn, John Lackey and Shelby Miller, but Adam Wainwright unquestionably is the ace of the staff.
The status of his right elbow has been a constant talking point since the postseason began, and he didn't help quiet the chatter with a second straight subpar outing in losing Game 1 of the NLCS (4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2:3 K:BB).
For what it's worth, Wainwright claims his problems in that one were mechanical more than medical, as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes.
"My arm, it doesn't feel great," Wainwright said. "But it should certainly be a lot better, results-wise, than that. I should be able to complete my pitches and deliver a lot better than I am."
Maybe, but this sounds, smells and looks like an if-there's-smoke-there's-fire situation. Heck, the Cardinals already are talking of trying to put out the flames by addressing Wainwright's workload—an MLB-high 512.2 innings, including the postseason, since the start of 2013—by implementing some restrictions in 2015, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
St. Louis got through the Los Angeles Dodgers without Wainwright at his best or healthiest, but it's hard to see that happening through two more rounds. And remember, Molina and Wacha aren't exactly in great shape either.
Can the Orioles Come Back After Going Down 0-2 at Home?
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The short answer here is no. At least, that's what history says.
Since the LCS round went to a best-of-seven format in 1985, 11 teams have dropped the first two games at home—just like the Orioles did—and not one of them was able to come back and advance to the World Series, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
The guess here is that will hold true for a 12th time in the ALCS. But if the Orioles need any more motivation to be the first club to pull this off, Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson might have supplied it.
When asked if he thought the Royals would be returning to Baltimore for a potential Game 6 (and possible Game 7), Dyson responded simply via Andy McCullough of the The Kansas City Star: "No sir, I don’t. And I don’t think they think that, either."
Will This Wind Up Being the Most Tightly Contested Postseason Ever?
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Kolten Wong's walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to win Game 2 of the NLCS 5-4 was the latest in a series of dramatic, one-run endings this October.
To wit, Wong's game-winner brought the 11th game decided by a single run so far, which puts this postseason on pace to be the most tightly contested ever, as Paul Casella of MLB.com writes:
"That is the most one-run games at this stage of the postseason and already just two shy of the overall postseason record of 13 such games, set in 2011 and duplicated last year. With a minimum nine games left—and a maximum of 17—this postseason seems to be shaping up as a potential record-setter.
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Considering that defense and bullpens are the strengths of the Royals and Orioles in the ALCS, while the NLCS is between two of the most evenly matched, playoff-tested teams in baseball in the Giants and Cardinals, it would be a shock if the 2014 postseason doesn't wind up establishing a new mark for most one-run games.
In other words, buckle up, expect some late nights and try to avoid biting those nails.
Statistics are accurate through Oct. 13 and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.
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