Pro Beavs: Rasmussen Shines, Kwan and Bazzana on Brink of Elimination
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It has been a rough showing in the postseason for former Beavers outside of Tampa Bay star Drew Rasmussen. Adley Rutschman, Matt Boyd and Michael Conforto all had their teams swept, while Kwan and Bazzana are in a 2-0 hole against the White Sox.
Adley Rutschman - Boston Red Sox
Things got off to a good start for the All-Star catcher, who knocked a hit off Cam Schlittler in the first inning of game one. Unfortunately for Rutschman, it was all downhill for both he and his team from this moment forward. Cam Schlittler was practically untouched by the Red Sox that entire night, as the Yankees rolled to a 9-0 win in that one. Game two was not any better, and Boston was outscored 18-2 across the two-game sweep. More than four years after his MLB debut, Adley Rutschman's playoff woes continue.
Matt Boyd - Chicago Cubs
The first three hitters for San Diego in the NLWC series might've been an omen for what was to come for the Chicago Cubs. After the Cubs were set down in order in the top of the first, Fernando Tatis took Boyd deep to lead off the Padres' night. After recording an out in the next plate appearance, notorious slugger Manny Machado lifted another home run off the left-handed starting pitcher. Matt Boyd ended up going four full innings, but allowed four earned runs and five total hits. The big storyline of this series was not Boyd's outing, however, but the Cubs' inability to generate any offense. They put up just one run on eight hits across two games at Petco Park, consistently stranding guys in scoring position. San Diego rolled to a sweep.
Travis Bazzana and Steven Kwan - Cleveland Guardians
While they aren't out of it yet, it has been a miserable showing thus far in the postseason for the Cleveland Guardians. After being shut out on Saturday, Cleveland squandered a 2-0 lead and lost at home to the White Sox again. Like the Red Sox and the Cubs, offense has been a major struggle for the Guardians so far. Cleveland has put up just seven hits across the first two games of the ALDS, with Bazzana and Kwan both at 1-7 so far in this series. They now head to Chicago facing elimination, and have little margin for error. Facing his first ever postseason elimination game, this could be a big time for Bazzana to show why he was the number one pick and put the team on his back.
Drew Rasmussen - Tampa Bay Rays
The silver lining thus far in the postseason for Oregon State alums, Rasmussen was absolutely electric in game one, putting the squad on his back and leading Tampa to a 1-0 victory over the Yankees On Saturday. The 31 year-old had a no-hit bid going deep into this matchup, until Austin Wells finally knocked a single with two outs in the eighth inning. Rasmussen ended the night with ten strikeouts and just one hit allowed off of 101 pitches thrown. The Rays will be going for a sweep of New York tomorrow, as that series heads to the Bronx with Tampa up 2-0. If the Yankees are able to stay alive tomorrow, it is likely that the Rays will give the ball to Rasmussen for game four on Wednesday.
About State of the Beavs
Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.
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Ben Pahl is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in Portland, Oregon. His work covering college and professional sports has been featured by the Orange Media Network at Oregon State University as well as KBVR.fm. His other career stops in sports include the Portland Pickles baseball club and the NBA G-League's Rip City Remix.