Mark Gray was live at the ballpark for Game 2 of the American League Division series between the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. The Bro Bats came alive.
Marcus Semien got back on track with a two-hit day in the Rangers 11-8 victory over the Orioles Sunday night. Now, needing only one win to clinch a berth to the ALCS, he sets his sights on a sweep in the biggest game in Arlington since the 2011 World Series.
A dark cloud in the form of a 2-for-22 slump had been hanging over Semien his last four games, but he remained optimistic and as his dad Damien told us on a “Baseball Dads” episode of MLBbro Show Podcast-The Mixtape, Semien doesn’t care about his personal stats as long as he helps the team win in some way.
Sunshine would cast over Camden Yards Sunday afternoon as a leadoff single to left by one of the best leadoff hitters in Rangers’ history showed the light at the end of the tunnel. That hit set the tone for how Texas would attack Orioles Starter Grayson Rodriguez, who did not even make it through three innings before exiting the game.
Semien finished 2-for-5 with a walk, an RBI coming on a sacrifice fly and he also scored on Mitch Garvers grand slam, which was the biggest blow in the game.
With the chance to pop champagne for the third time in two weeks and it being the first Rangers home playoff game since 2016, Tuesday night is the most anticipated game in Arlington since Game 5 of the 2012 World Series.
If Semien is on base and in the mix, that spells trouble for the O’s.
He led the American League with 123 runs and if he gives sluggers Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia ducks on the pound, Baltimore can begin finalizing vacation destinations.
Game three will be Tuesday Night at 7 PM on FOX.
Marcus Semien and his Texas Rangers busted the brooms out on their way to sweeping the Rays in the Wild Card round, despite him only going 1-for-9 in the series and 2-for-17 overall in his last three games.
If Semien can break the skid and join his other teammates in the party at the plate, they have a chance to defeat the Orioles.
Elation was spread across the face of the 2021 MLBbro.com Player of Year as he and his teammates dosed themselves with champagne after their victory over Tampa Bay.
“I do not wear the goggles,” Semien told reporters during the melee. “When you get the burn of the champagne in your eyes, it means you did something good.”
Wednesday afternoon Texas, who has finished with a record under .500 for the past six seasons, including going 68-94 in Semien’s first year with the team, won its first playoff series since current Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington managed the 2011 team to the World Series after winning the ALCS in Tampa.
It was an all-around dominating effort for the Rangers who won both games by a combined total of 11-1, allowing the only run the Ray scored in the series to come in the 8th inning of Game 2.
Rookies stole the show at the plate for Texas.
Outfielder Evan Carter introduced himself to the world by reaching safely in his first six postseason plate appearances, capping the final one of those six off with a two-run back-breaking homer to extend the lead to four in Game 2.
All-Star third baseman Josh Jung, who has molded his work ethic around Semien and the other members of their star studded infield had a great series himself with a triple and a pair of doubles.
The Orioles, who had the best regular season record in the American League are a different animal than the one the Rangers just slayed and if they want to advance past them into the Championship Series, they will need more from Semien at the plate.
Marcus Semien: ‘That’s Exactly Where We Want To Be, With All Our Weapons’
In six games against Baltimore this year Semien was 5-for-25 with a .200 average, three RBI and a double.
Granted it has been a few months since these teams met, we will find out this weekend if the O’s figured out the code to crack the American League hits leader.
One factor I think will determine the series is how fast the Rangers start, particularly in the first two road games of the series.
Baltimore has been resting while Texas picked up a wave of momentum with their beatdown of Tampa.
If Semien, who hit a franchise record 10 leadoff Bro Bombs this year and became the fifth leadoff hitter in MLB history to reach 100 RBI can get the party started early, the Rangers can take a stranglehold of the series and take the crowd out of the equation.
Game 1 will be played Saturday afternoon in Camden Yards at noon central time.
Rob Parker remembers MLBbro Chris Chambliss who was an All-Star with the Yankees and won a Gold Glove and his clutch playoff hitting helped lead the Yankees to back-to-back World Series in 1977-78.
September is almost over and so is the MLB regular season.
The MLB playoffs separate the game changers from the fakers. There are tons of pressure, and everybody reacts to it differently.
Pressure for not only teams, but also for players. There are two MLBbros in particular who will face a significant amount of pressure in the waning stages of the regular season, and the postseason: Atlanta Braves’ outfielder Michael Harris II and Texas Rangers’ second baseman Marcus Semien.
Is MLBbro Michael Harris II Trending Upwards Just In Time For the Atlanta Braves Postseason?
After a stellar rookie season, MLB Michael Harris II flamed out in the playoffs last season. He batted .297 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI, which was enough to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.
But he was able to only register a single hit in the National League Division Series against the eventual National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. In 14 plate appearances Harris tallied one hit, zero walks, and only one RBI.
He is once again having a stellar season with similar hitting production from a year ago, but for the Braves to win another World Series title, he will have to sustain his success into the playoffs.
Marcus Semien: ‘That’s Exactly Where We Want To Be, With All Our Weapons’
MLBbro Semien was a high-profile free agent signing for the Texas Rangers prior to the 2022 MLB season.
Although his first year in Arlington did meet expectations, he gutted out the first 20-20 season of his career and then responded with an All-Star performance in 2023. The team has benefited from his excellence, and they now are entering playoff baseball for the first time since 2016.
The MLBbro, along with Corey Seager were signed because they are both All-Star veterans with playoff experience. Semien has been to the postseason three times, all with the Oakland Athletics. He has batted .371 with two home runs and four RBI across four series.
MLBbro TV Show | The Playoffs Are Coming & MLBbros Have A Story To Tell
Both of these MLBbros will be heavily relied on by their respective teams to produce this postseason. Although Harris is in just his second season, and the early stages of his career, he is a vital part to the Braves’ success. Even a lineup that is challenging the MLB record for team homers can’t afford for key bats to go cold. The Braves need Money Mike on base and he’s such a luxury to have at the bottom of the lineup because he doesn’t hit like an 8 or 9 hole guy.
Semien on the other hand was awarded with a lucrative contract and although he has delivered a great season, legacies are made in October. Both players will look to establish themselves on the grand stage come next month.
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