MLB Week in Review (September 14-20)
With just over a week left for the season the postseason is coming up quick and for the teams heading to October baseball, this is an important time.
This is the tie when teams can gain that all-important momentum as they head into the most important part of the season.
There is no time to waste when the postseason begins as teams need to be at their best from Game 1.
When the postseason first starts, getting off to a good start can be vital for teams as they look to get ahead in any series.
For the teams in the wild card, there simply isn’t room for them to make a mistake as they need to be good right away.
That is where the aspect of momentum can come in when teams head to the postseason.
Although it is not the be all and end all of the postseason with teams having that ability to find momentum in the postseason heading in on a good run can make a big difference.
Teams will look to try to get things going in the last week because momentum can be a factor for any team when the games are so important.
It isn’t something that can be measured but it is an aspect of the game that can play a role on the mental side more than anything else.
To get through a full season takes plenty of mental fortitude as players have to find a way to get up for 182 games every year.
All of the road trips and the bad runs through the season these players had to find a way to get motivated and give their best.
It wasn’t always possible but for the teams in the postseason, they were able to get that out of their players more often than not.
That ability to stay mentally strong only gets tougher in the postseason as there is a rare team that easily gets through every series.
They all have to deal with something on their way to the World Series and when the pressure is on they have to increase that mental ability.
They can’t let one mistake crush them despite the fact that the one mistake could have cost them a chance to play at the World Series.
Players need to find a way to recover from that quickly and make sure that in the game the mistake they made doesn’t haunt them in the end.
Without that ability to move on they will only suffer through one of the toughest times in the season.
That can all be solved with momentum as when a team has momentum those issues don’t become as big of a problem.
That momentum is something that just seems to flow through teams at certain times.
They head into games just expecting to win and when things go wrong it’s not as big of a deal.
When they struggle at moments but they continue to win that does something to all of the players.
They realize that the small issues that happen in every game throughout the season doesn’t matter nearly as much
Gaining momentum is essentially a team continuing to win games throughout a long stretch.
When teams do that there are bound to be games that go a lot less than perfect for them with no team able to avoid mistakes or struggles at some point.
If a team can make a good run they often find themselves overcoming some major issues in any number of games.
On the other end of the spectrum, a team who struggles seems to see those mistakes only amplify.
It seems like every time something happens it only builds on the issues that they experience every day.
Heading into the postseason can be a big thing as teams will either go into October baseball thinking that mistakes can be overcome or that mistakes are just another sign of them losing.
It can be a big part of the mental game for teams playing in extremely important situations where every game is an important one.
As teams head into the final part of the season they will all be looking to start adding some wins in order to get that feeling heading into the postseason.
Although many teams know what their fate is they will all be looking to play for that momentum as they approach October baseball.
Extra Innings
Harper Heading Out
This week marks the last homestand for the Washington Nationals and with that comes the speculation about their biggest star. Bryce Harper is a part of one of the best free agent classes in recent memory and could be the leading candidate. With no extension signed between the two sides, there is a good possibility that Harper leaves to pursue a championship and a major deal. This week could be the last time Harper plays in Washington with the Nationals. As he begins that potential last stand the rumours are already building with the Chicago Cubs looking like the leaders in the attempt to sign Harper.
Preparing for the Future
The Texas Rangers are not happy with how things went this season after missing the postseason for the second straight season. It was somewhat expected as the Rangers admitted that they would be in a rebuilding mode this year. That won’t change going forward as the Rangers are reportedly looking into the future and potentially making some bigger changes. This week the Rangers were reportedly considering changing their manager as Jeff Banister could be gone at the beginning of the postseason leaving the Rangers looking for a new manager to help guide them through this period.
Only in Boston
The Boston Red Sox were getting ready to celebrate as they were the first team to clinch a postseason berth and were looking ahead to the division title. As they prepared for a key series against the New York Yankees the Red Sox were getting things ready. The beginning of the series was supposed to have the AL Banner in place in case they were able to get past the Yankees and take the division. They wanted to have it to celebrate but on the way to the ballpark, it fell off of the back of the delivery truck. That is where a few fans found the banner and immediately held it for ransom. Eventually, the Red Sox got the banner back and gave nothing for it as they continue to prepare to celebrate after struggling against the Yankees.
The Sport Addiction 