Morning Rundown: World Series matchup set, Derek Diamond starts for Scottsdale

Derek Diamond makes his first start of the AFL,

Oct 21, 2024

The Scottsdale Scorpions wrapped up the second week of Arizona Fall League action with a Sunday night game at home against the Salt River Rafters. Two Pittsburgh Pirates were in the starting lineup, while pitcher Derek Diamond got his first fall start. Eddy Yean joined the game later in relief. Termarr Johnson played shortstop, and batted in the lead-off spot, while right fielder Sammy Siani hit fifth in the order. Diamond pitched twice in relief prior to Sunday's game. He allowed a total of four runs (two earned) over 3.1 innings during those outings.

Diamond had an eventful start to the first inning, though he kept it scoreless with a little help from a friend. The first batter singled. Diamond then allowed a double to right field, where Siani picked up an assist on an out at home plate. He threw to the second baseman, who nailed the runner at home. Diamond then struck out the next two batters to end the inning. Limited Gameday data showed that he threw 18 pitches in the inning, with 11 going for strikes.

Johnson started the bottom of the first inning with a fly out to left field on the third pitch of his at-bat. Diamond allowed a home run to the first batter of the second inning. The rest of the inning went quickly, with a fly out to Siani, a grounder to Johnson, and a fly ball to left field. Diamond threw 15 pitches, with nine going for strikes.

Siani popped out to first base on the first pitch he saw in the second inning. Diamond continued getting quick outs in the third inning when he set the side down in order. He picked up two more strikeouts while getting the second out of the inning on a fly out to left field. He threw 11 pitches, with nine going for strikes. Diamond was done after three innings. He allowed one run on three hits, no walks, and four strikeouts.

Johnson led off the bottom of the third inning with a swinging strikeout. Siani drew a full count walk in the fourth. He came around to score the second run of the night for Scottsdale. Johnson walked in the fifth, then stole second base and third base. The next three batters all made outs, so he remained at third base. Siani singled in the sixth inning then stole second base.

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Eddy Yean came on to pitch the seventh inning. He walked the first batter he faced, then got a pop out to first base. That was followed by a fly out to left field. He got a ground ball to second base to end the frame. He threw just five of his 13 pitches for strikes.

Johnson lined out to second base in the seventh inning. Yean was still on the mound in the eighth. He struck out the first batter, then allowed a walk, stolen base, and RBI double, which chased him from the game. The next batter homered off reliever Jawilme Ramirez, making it a 4-2 deficit. Yean went 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on one hit, two walks, and one strikeout. He threw 31 pitches total, with 17 going for strikes. He entered the game with a 13.50 ERA through three appearances, and that ERA remained the same at the end of his day.

Siani picked up his second outfield assist to end the top of the eighth. He then struck out to start the bottom of the eighth inning. He finished his night 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored, and a stolen base. He has a .440 average and a 1.121 OPS through six games. Johnson hit his second triple of the fall with two outs in the ninth to keep the game alive. He finished 1-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases, leaving him with a .308 average and a 1.101 OPS over 35 plate appearances/seven games.

Scottsdale ended up losing 4-2, dropping them to a 4-7 record. The Scorpions have off on Monday. They resume play on the road Tuesday night against Salt River (6-5) at 9:30 PM EST.

The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up the NLCS with a win on Sunday and will now face the New York Yankees in the World Series.

A rally by the Mets in the middle innings wasn’t enough, as the Dodgers added a few more in the eighth.

Tommy Edman picked up a pair of extra-base hits, batting cleanup and playing shortstop for Los Angeles. Will Smith drove in a couple as well, batting eighth.

The Dodgers went with a bullpen game, using seven different pitchers, with Blake Treinen throwing the final two innings.

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This sets up a matchup between the Dodgers and New York Yankees in the World Series.

It will be the 12th time they have faced each other in the World Series, dating back to the Brooklyn Dodgers' era, and the first time since 1981.

This is how the schedule will go for the series:

Game 1: October 25
Game 2: October 26
Game 3: October 28
Game 4: October 29
Game 5: October 30 (If Necessary)
Game 6: November 1 (If Necessary)
Game 7: November 2 (If Necessary)

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