Game 1 – Former Speaker, Yasiel Puig, opens the scoring with a 2-out RBI single in the 1st. That immediately followed a top half where Kris Bryant walks with 2 away. Yoenis Cespedes gets robbed of a 2-run HR (Edinson Volquez +25) and Bryant is nailed at the plate to end the inning.
Victor Martinez’s double play grounder with the bases loaded in the 3rd makes it 2-0 Eliminators. AJ Pollock mows down Carlos Gonzalez at the plate in the 4th, but Andrelton Simmons’ 2-run HR caps that 3-run inning for the Speakers.
The Eliminators tie on 3 consecutive singles to open the 6th. Puig with his second RBI hit.
Ian Kinsler leads off the Eliminators’ 9th with a double off Jeurys Familia. After Joe Mauer walks, Jonathon Lucroy walks off with a double in the gap, 4-3.
W – Bryan Shaw; L – Familia (0-4)
Game 2 – The rout is seemingly on. Andrew McCutchen (2-run HR in the 3rd) and Carlos Correa (3-run shot in the 4th) back Jon Lester, who doesn’t allow a base runner until the 6th. That’s when the Speakers bat around plus two. 7 hits and a walk produce 6 runs for an improbable 6-5 lead. Bryant (3) and Chris Young (3) each go deep.
While the Speakers pen stymies the Eliminators, the offense adds another 6-run inning in the 8th. 5 hits (4 doubles), a walk and a costly Correa error complete the 12-5 come-from-behind win.
Interestingly, the Speakers only hit safely in those 2 big innings and do not get a base runner in the other 7! The Speakers have only scored in 3 of the first 18 innings, yet are 1-1 in the series.
W – Chris Archer (4-2); L – Lester
Game 3 – Roughned Odor (5) and McCutchen match solo shots in the 3rd. Freddie Freeman singles home another in the 4th for a 2-1 Eliminators lead.
Bryant strokes a clutch 2-out 3-run homer (4) in the 5th to put the Speakers on top, 4-2. The Eliminators get 2 singles and a walk the rest of the way against the Speakers’ relief corps while Bryant adds to the lead with another 2-run shot (5) in the 9th. 6-2 final and series win for the Speakers as Bryant slugs more HRs in this series than he has to date.
W – Roberto Osuna (2-0); L – Yordano Ventura; S – Familia (7, in his final appearance with the Speakers)