Trick or Treat, Series Knotted at 1-1

After a classic Game 1 battle between Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia ended in a dominating complete game performance by Lee and the Phillies, fans were treated to another close game in Game 2. In a Game 1 that pitted the last two AL Cy Young Award winners, Lee was good as advertised, recording 10 strikeouts in a 9-inning complete game effort. Sabathia was good as well going 7 innings before Girardi gave him the hook down 2-0. After Yankee parade of pitchers in the 8th and 9th innings led to 4 more runs, the Phillies had the game in hand, winning 6-1. Game 2 promised the potential for great starting from A.J. Burnett and Pedro Martinez, or utter disaster. You simply didn't know what would happen, but luckily, it was the former, with the Burnett throwing 7 innings of one-run ball before handing the reins to Mariano for 6 outs, and a 3-1 win.

As expected MLB fans are in for real treat for Game 3 on Halloween night, and again as has been the issue all postseason, the weather will hopefully hold out. On paper Yankee Doodle Andy Pettitte will have the advantage over Cole Hamels tonight, but Citizens Bank Ballpark is a band-box and untold amounts of scoring are always possible.

World Series 2009 Preview

This may ultimately be the best World Series since 2001 between the Yankees and Diamondbacks, which went 7 games, and was capped off by a series-winning duck-snort by Luis Gonzalez over the head of Derek Jeter. As a Mets fan, I've been entirely disgusted by the outlook of fellow Mets fans who deem this World Series matchup as a "Mets fan's worst nightmare" or "hell." Who cares? The Mets' season was over almost as soon as it began, and fans have to put the season to rest and turn over a new leaf. As said before, its okay to be a MLB fan. You have to respect what the Phillies did this year off a 2008 World Series Championship.

Position Matchup (offense)

C- Posada- one of the best offensive catchers of his generation; Ruiz has been good this postseason
1B- Howard- very clutch/hot in the playoffs, consecutive rbi game streak, Teixera hitting .205
2B- Utley- even on regular season, but advantage goes to Utley mostly because Cano hasn't hit well with RISP
SS- Jeter- guy's a hitter, doesn't matter the situation; Rollins had huge walk-off 2 rbi double, but still doesn't stack up to Derek Jeter
3B- Rodriguez- most deadly hitter in playoffs, IBB with 2 outs bases empty in 9th inning against Angels closer Brian Fuentes
LF- Push (Ibanez/Damon)- Ibanez has better overall stats, but fizzled after an injury during the year and their postseason stats are even
CF- Victorino- similar stats, "the Flying Hawaiian" has a 20 pt better avg
RF- Werth- 36 hr 99rbi .268 vs. Swisher's 26 hr 81 rbi .249

Position Matchup (defense)

C- Ruiz- Posada gets flack for his defensive play, he's in there for offense
1B- Teixera- no question, 2x glove glover- will win again this year
2B- Push (Utley/Cano)- both above average infielders who will make bone-head plays from time to time
SS- Push (Jeter/Rollins)- if you give anyone an edge it would be Jeter for his spectacular throws, but Rollins has better arm
3B- Rodriguez - 2x gold glover; Pedro Feliz committed 15 errors this season to A-Rod's 9.
LF- Damon- it doesn't always look good, but Damon usually makes the play despite his terrible arm; Phillies have put Ben Francisco in LF as a defensive replacement late for Ibanez in the playoffs
CF- Victorino- covers a remarkable amount of ground in CF; Melky can be an adventure
RF- Werth- also covers quite a bit of ground in RF; Swisher will lose the ball in the lights

Overall

Starting Pitching
NYY- Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte over Lee, Hamels, Martinez, Blanton

Bullpen
NYY- only give it to Yankees because of Mariano Rivera; Chamberlain, Hughes, Coke were supposed to be the bridge to Mariano, but they have faltered. Weak Phillies bullpen hasn't blown any saves with Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson this postseason

Offense
PHI- close, but big Yankees boppers like Mark Teixera have not been as impressive as the explosive Phillies lineup.

Defense
Infield- NYY- fabulous defense all-around except for maybe Cano at times.
Outfield- PHI- Werth and Victorino over Cabrera and Swisher any day of the week.
Overall- NYY- Infield is key to overall defense here, whereas Melky and Swisher can get by.

Manager
Charlie Manuel- won last year's World Series; Girardi won NL Manager of the Year with Florida Marlins some years ago, and the quick hook on pitchers in the playoffs along with the offensive reshuffling sans DH in Philadelphia might hurt.

Intangibles
Push- the Yankees came back to win many many times this year, and have had some late clutch hits to win games (see A-Rod); the Phillies had a late walk-off double by Jimmy Rollins when faced with their final out.

Keys to the Series: Starting Pitching and Bullpen
Both teams have worthy aces in Sabathia and Lee. Burnett can be rattled but has been good overall thus far, whereas Hamels with a 6.00+ ERA is not getting it done. Having Pettitte as a #3 with all his postseason experience overshadows Blanton, Happ, and even Pedro Martinez.
Coming into their ALCS with the Angels, the Yankees bullpen was rock-solid, however Joba and Phil Hughes have been anything but solid. Couple this with a poor Phillies bullpen that finished games with moderate trouble and you are beginning to see parity among these two bullpens minus of course Mariano Rivera.

Prediction: This World Series is tough to call. If Yankees starting pitching and bullpen are good, they win in 6. Otherwise the Phillies will win in 7 games, as they will need to go the distance to overcome their poorer starting pitching and unsure bullpen; expect their wins to include 8-6 slugfests to stay competitive.

Turnpike Tussle

Its official, the Yankees will meet the Phillies in the 2009 World Series. On the backs of great pitching from starter Andy Pettitte (6.1 IP) along with six solid outs from Mariano Rivera, the Yankees clinched their 40th AL pennant with a 5-2 Game 6 win at Yankee Stadium Sunday night.

You'll forgive my East Coast Bias, but this is definitely the best possible matchup for this year's World Series. Representing the NL, you have the Philadelphia Phillies, defending 2008 World Series Champions versus the AL's best team, the 103-win New York Yankees. This World Series shapes up to be an interesting series not seen in some years, as WS sweeps in 2004, 2005, and 2007 proved lackluster and anti-climatic. Here's hoping this series goes 6 or 7 games to erase the lopsided contests of recent years.

World Series breakdown to follow soon. Stay tuned.

No Swish-a-licious Tonight

The Yankees blew a golden opportunity to set up a World Series meeting with the Phils, and instead will prepare for the Angels in a Game 6 at Yankee Stadium on an ominous-looking Saturday evening. They scored late, as has been their M.O. the entire postseason thus far, scoring no runs in the first 6 innings. Down 4-0, they rallied in the 7th, scoring 6 runs in an inning where John Lackey may have prematurely been taken out of the game by skipper Mike Scioscia. After the Angels scored 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-6 lead, the Yankees looked to Mariano to bail them out. He did, and in the 9th, Nick Swisher popped up to end the game with the bases loaded.

Chants of '2004 Red Sox' should be no problem as veteran Andy Pettite takes the hill on Saturday, with safety-net CC Sabathia ready if needed for a Game 7. The true issue is that the Yankees' bats always seem to take some innings to get going. This pattern will not be particularly helpful if their starting pitchers fail to produce solid outings. Tonight saw A.J. Burnett give up 4 runs in the first inning before eventually settling in. During the five innings to follow, John Lackey continued to shut the Yankees down. Luckily the Yankees were finally able to get into the Angels bullpen and cash in 6 runs to go on top 6-4, with the hope they would end series here tonight in Anaheim. But it wasn't to be as the "dependable" Yankee bullpen, along with some interesting pitching decisions by Joe Girardi, hampered the Yankees ability to maintain the lead long enough for Mariano Rivera to reach the mound.

Heavy rains may disrupt Game 6 on Saturday, but Sunday and Monday--if series pushed back-- look good. Hopefully, the bad weather on Saturday doesn't result in an unfair result for a monumentally important game.

Umpiring Miscues Transcend Human Error

It's unbelievably appalling how horrid the umpiring has been this postseason. It's certainly one thing to make a split-second mistake the length of one-half step, but another to make a decision without ever looking at the play. You saw plenty of the latter during Game 4 between the Yankees and Angels. From 3rd base umpire Tim McClelland's blatant save call of a clearly-out Robinson Cano at third to his successful appeal call determining Swisher left early on a sac-fly when he did not, the viewers will look back at a game where McClelland couldn't seem to get the simplest of calls correct. McClelland didn't get into position to see that Angels catcher Mike Napoli tagged Robinson Cano (coming from 2nd), followed by tagging Jorge Posada retreating back to 3rd. The crisis was averted when Cano would not score from 3rd anyway. You have to wonder whether Swisher's head-first slide back into second base, in which he was out by 12 inches, affected McClellan's out call on Swisher after he apparently did not tag up.

In the end, the Yankees 10-1 drubbing ultimately placed little bearing on these umpiring miscues. However, it did further highlight the poor umpiring in the 2009 postseason. Hopefully, these postseason umpires will pay better attention in successive games, especially the World Series. Remember that no news is good news, because the less you realize the umpires are there, the better.

Never Say Die & Micro-Managing

If I haven't said it before, I'll say it again: don't worry about the Phillies' bullpen so much. It doesn't appear anyone will blame the 'pen with a three games-to-one lead over the Dodgers. While it's true they haven't been particularly good, the offense has been able to pad leads to allow for some leeway to work. This is especially true of Game 1 where the Phillies scored 3 runs in the top of the 8th right before Ryan Madison gave up 2 runs in a 8-6 Phillies victory. In Game 2, Utley's error allowed the Dodgers to tie the game 1-1 before a bases-loaded walk gave the Dodgers a 2-1 advantage and the victory. Game 3 entirely sat on Cliff Lee's shoulders as he threw a dominating 8 shutout innings on the back of a 11-run outburst by Phillies' hitters. Finally, last night baseball fans witnessed a Game 4 for the ages, as not since Kirk Gibson's memorable 1988 World Series home run did a team hit an extra-bases hit to walk-off when facing 2 outs and a potential loss. This Phillies team is awfully tough, and it shouldn't surprise people that they have come as far as they have, even with a shaky bullpen consisting of Brad Lidge's major league leading 11 blown saves. They're now one game away from their second consecutive World Series appearance.

Many are making too much of Joe Girardi's move to bring Aceves in to pitch with 2 outs in the 11th inning. Who would have thought that Jeff Mathis, a .211 career hitter, would be capable of delivering a walk-off hit to bring the Angels back into the ALCS? Sports writers and ESPN especially, ask if it could possibly be that Girardi's micro-managing led to this result. Yes and no. Firstly, more and more than ever managers are looking at pitcher-batter matchups to determine moves. Just look at Girardi's 4-inch bounded book as a hint towards the direction MLB has taken in its pattern of increased relief pitcher use. It sure did look bad when Girardi scurried to look at the potential matchups, leading one to think that perhaps he could have explored the possibilities sooner and earlier before making his decision. But again, Mathis is a .211 hitter, does it matter all that much? You have to tip your cap to Mathis and the Angels; the Yankees will focus their attention on C.C.'s Game 4 start tonight.

No Love for Philly; Here Comes the Rain

There appears to be no brotherly love for the defending MLB champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. Everyone from Mike Francesca on New York's 660 AM sports talk radio to ESPN Senior Writer Pat Forde on "First & Ten" truly believe that the Phillies can't (and won't) win with a bullpen in disaray. This simply isn't true. What's true is that while pitching does indeed win championships, let's not forget that the Phillies have Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, both good pitchers with very good postseason results (Hamels in '08, Lee in '09). Its important to have a 'pen you can rely on, and despite having to peacemeal the last few innings of every game, the Phillies have advanced to the NLCS and won 8-6 in Game 1 against the Dodgers.

In New York, the Yankees and Angels will begin Game 1 in the ALCS in less than desirable conditions. It's going to be cold, wet, and miserable, but enjoyable nonetheless, unless Selig decides to stop the game and continue it tomorrow-- just kidding. The whole circus surrounding whether the rain will impact the Yankees' ability to pitch Sabathia on short rest for Game 4 after pitching in Game 1, might all be for naught. If the Yankees have a 2-1 series lead, there shouldn't be any reason for CC to be pitching, especially with this Yankee lineup being able to make up for a difference in Yankee starting pitchers.

Division Matchups Hold Surprises, Keep Us in Suspense

The divisional round of the MLB playoffs has not followed any predestined blueprint thus far, and that's good, unless you hate surprises. But there's a reason they play the games, and if everything went according to plan, why would one bother watching in the first place. As with every MLB playoff matchup, some aspects of each series follows "the plan," while others leave the viewer surprised, stunned, or baffled. This is playoff baseball the way it was intended. North American sports engage themselves in an extended playoff format unlike other leagues around the world that place the regular season in higher regard. The regular season is everything when it comes to foreign league championships. Only domestically, are fans given the opportunity to root for their team in a "second season" a.k.a. the playoffs. Here, we place everything on the line in a best-of-series format to determine a champion. The best teams during the season have to prove they are the best, and they get this opportunity in the postseason.

Each of the Division Series matchups have produced suspenseful, stimulating baseball. In a short playoff series, any team can upset the favorite, and that's why we watch, whether it be to see the favorite march on as expected or witness the underdog upset unexpectedly.

ALDS

Yankees/Twins

As expected, the Yankees are up 2 games to none versus a hot Twins team. But unexpectedly (to some), the Twins have still put up a great fight against the Yankees, a team which has every to lose. To this point, the Twins have held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in Games 1 & 2, only to lose both games to a sleeping giant with offensive juggernauts like Mark Teixeira (39 HR) and Alex Rodriguez (30 HR). Making no excuses about playing a 12-inning AL Central tiebreaker game the night before, the Twins came out to an early lead in Game 1, ultimately losing 7-2. In Game 2, up 3-1 in the 9th, sure-handed Twins' closer Joe Nathan showed his lack of postseason experience, serving up a 2-run bomb to A-Rod tieing the game, and sending it to extra innings, where 17 runners left on base did in the Twins efforts. Teixeira would hit a self-described "wall scraper" walk-off homer to win in the 11th, putting the Yankees up 2 game to 0.

Angels/Red Sox

This series could have gone either way as it pitted playoff regulars all too familiar with one another. Do the Red Sox win because of past postseason successes against the Angels or do the Angels with all their .300 contact hitters take the cake this year? The Angels' starting pitching staff of John Lackey and Jered Weaver got the job done holding the Red Sox to 1 run combined over the first 2 games, each going deep with 7.1 innings pitched. Lackey out-dueled Lester (6 IP, 3 R), and the Angels got to Beckett late with 3 runs in the 7th to win 4-1 in Game 2. In Game 3, the Red Sox appeared safe to live another day, leading 5-1 in the middle innings, and despite a rally by the Angels that resulted in a 5-4 and 6-4 deficit in the 7th and 8th, respectively, you can depend on Jonathan Papelpon to close in out in the 9th, right?... wrong. Papelbon, who has never given up run in a playoff game, gave 3 runs in the 9th, including a 2-out, 2-run single to Vladimir Guerrero, blowing the save and ending the Red Sox' playoff run. Swept for the first time since 2005, who could have seen this coming? Now, you have to believe this Angels team is serious; their top-line pitching and consistent hitters make for an exciting ALCS matchup against the Yankees(?).

NLDS

Phillies/Rockies

You almost have to say that you're not sure what exactly is going on in this series, and that you could see either team winning. After a dominating 6-hit complete game by Cliff Lee against the Rockies in Game 1, the Phillies' mid-season deal for the 2008 AL Cy Young pitcher never looked better. However, some of that enthusiasm was given back as Aaron Cook and the Rockies won Game 2 by a score of 5-4 at Citizens Bank in game where Cole Hamels looked anything but the NLCS and World Series MVP of last postseason, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. Joe Blanton pitched 1 inning in the game, and J.A. Happ appeared briefly before exiting after a hot-shot up the middle hit him in the knee. Because of this, 37-year-old Pedro Martinez was poised to make the Game 3 start before record freezing temperatures and the threat of snow postponed the game until Sunday 10:07 pm ET. Charlie Manuel will look instead to Happ in Game 3 for the start, and try to wrest home-field advantage back from the Rockies. If the 2 teams split in Colorado on Sunday and Monday, expect Game 5 to be Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Dodgers/Cardinals

The Dodgers 5-3, 3-2, 5-1, 3-game sweep of the Cardinals is probably the shocking result this postseason. Vegas even had the Cardinals as the odds-on favorite to represent the NL in the World Series. Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24) and Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63), along with Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49) were supposed to be the difference in this series. Chris Carpenter was uncharacteristically shaky, but held in there long enough to give the Cardinals a chance in Game 1. In Game 2, we saw the importance of each game in a short best-of-five series. Seemingly having the game won 2-1, and one out away from tieing the series at 1-1 before heading to St. Louis, Cardinals' left fielder Matt Holliday lost view of the ball as it went above his glove and hit him in the groin, ouch! Double ouch really as Holliday became the goat of this series, with the damage having been done, and the Dodgers winning Game 3 with a nice offensive output against Pineiro. You have to give the Dodgers credit as they will open up the NLCS at home against either the Phillies or Rockies.

Underestimated, Underappreciated, Unknown

In three words, The 2009 Twins.

Underestimated:
After their 2-2 series split with the Detroit Tigers last week, I saw no reason to believe that any team could truly overcome a 2-game deficit to win a division crown with 3 left to play. Behold the 2009 Twins, the first team to win a division down 3 games with 4 left to play; a team 7 games behind the Tigers on September 7. Did anyone see this coming? Did anyone expect the Twins to win 17 of their last 21 games to get this point? To force a one-game playoff for the AL Central crown against the Tigers?

I, myself figured that despite their "valiant" comeback, a series split with the Tigers at the end of the year meant the Twins no longer controlled their own destiny. And because of this, it certainly appeared the conclusion of the regular season schedule might be the only reason their surge towards the top of the standings would fall short. Even when they faced the prospect that the White Sox and Ozzie Guillen would have to be their best friend at the end of the season, they showed up to play, sweeping the Royals.

Underappreciated:
The Twins 6-5, 12-inning victory over the Tigers will go down as one of the more memorable one-game play-ins in MLB history, a recent history that includes three straight years of play-in games (2008 White Sox, 2007 Rockies). In a game where it looked as though the Tigers would win at several different points in extra innings, the Metrodome and the Twins were still buzzing. After getting out of several jams, the Tigers put a run on the board in the top of the 10th. The Twins would respond in the bottom of the inning, albeit a fortunate lead-off single-turned-triple by the indecisiveness of left fielder Ryan Raburn. In the bottom of the 12th, Carlos Gomez led off with a single, and scored the winning run from second on a base hit through the right side by Casilla.

Unknown:
Do most people know the names of players on this team outside of Joe Mauer and Joe Nathan? Most likely not, and unless you haven't been following closely, make this 5 AL Central Championships in the last 8 years for the Minnesota Twins. And if it wasn't crystal clear before Tuesday night's game, I think it's safe to say now that Joe Mauer, who led the AL in 6 major offensive categories (inculding avg, obp, and slugging), will win the AL MVP. Much like the poster in the Metrodome crowd which proclaimed "David meets Goliath" the Twins will have their hands full playing the 103-win New York Yankees. But it seems they will be ready for the challenge. You can look at the Twins 0-7 record against the Yankees this year, and think back to the three consecutive walk-offs the Yankees pulled off at Yankee Stadium and how the Yankees turned their season around. I ask you, why can't the Twins take this one game and parlay it into a highly competitive effort against the Yankees?

In conclusion, if this game is any indication of what is to follow in the 2009 MLB playoffs, we are all in store for an epic month of postseason baseball. Let's just hope that if and when the Twins make the playoffs in future seasons, outdoor baseball at a roofless Target Field doesn't bring 40 degree, freezing rain weather conditions.

The 2009 MLB playoffs have arrived

As a suffering Mets fan who thinks about what could have been, the 2009 MLB season could-- and probably should-- be completely forgettable. But alas, the Major League Baseball fan in me can't let this season die because the playoffs are the best time of the year. After a grueling 162 game, six month season, it comes down to this- four weeks of exhilarating baseball where every game counts. Will you be watching? If you're not you should strongly reconsider for many reasons.

1. Rivalry renewed?
The Yankees and Red Sox are on a serious collision course to meet up in the ALCS. The Tigers and Angels, respectively, will have something to say about this, but assuming the Red Sox-- who have owned the Angels in postseason play this decade-- continue their domination of the Angels (9-1 in their last 3 playoff appearances), expect excitement exceeding the '03 and '04 ALCS meetings.

2. Wide-open National League.
All 4 playoff teams are within 2 games of one another with 3 left to play. Rockies could still win the NL West with a sweep of Dodgers this weekend. The teams are all pretty even. The Cardinals have the best starting pitching with 2009 NL Cy Young candidates Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter at the top of the rotation. Watch to see if the Dodgers' 37-34 second half spells doom.

3. Storylines
Phillies repeat? There haven't been back-to-back WS champions since '99-'00 Yankees.
Has AL East karma shifted towards the Yankees?
Can the Angels overcome the Red Sox (and upset the Yankees like 2002)?
Rockies return to postseason after magical 2007 run to the World Series.
Will Dodgers mediocre second half result in an early exit?
Is the Cardinals' starting pitching going to carry them through the NL playoffs?

My AL predictions: (NL to follow)

American League

ALDS

Yankees over Tigers (in 3). Even if the Twins had overtaken the Tigers, I don't think it would have mattered much. The Yankees were 25-9 against the AL Central this year, and the only way it takes 4 games to win this series is if Justin Verlander pitches an absolute gem.

Red Sox over Angels (in 5). This is a tough one to pick; will the Red Sox past success against the Angels in the postseason translate to a series victory? This will hands-down be the best Division series to watch as it might go the distance.

ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox (in 6)
You saw a tale of two halves with the Red Sox winning the first 8 meetings between the two teams before the Yankees dominated the AL going 51-20 in the second half and 9-1 against the Red Sox the rest of the way.

National League (TBD)- seeding to be decided

Valant effort, but Twinkies choke when it matters most

I knew it was a long-shot. Only two weeks ago, the Twins were counted out of the AL Central race. The Tigers had a comfortable 5 game lead, and were poised to win the division with only 85-87 wins. No team in the division was playing particularly well, and it seemed the Tigers would do just enough to punch their ticket to the playoffs. But out of nowhere the Twins made it interesting, despite their mundane pennant chase with the Tigers and White Sox throughout most of the season. Added to the fact that Justin Morneau had to shut it down due to a fracture, this Twins team was showing some heart down the stretch without their 2006 AL MVP. Joe Mauer seemingly would have to solely carry this Twins team the rest of the way with his .370 batting average, but Michael Cuddyer filling in for Morneau at first base hit .370 himself. Couple that with 6 hr, 19 rbi, and only 7 strikeouts over the 13 games after Morneau went down, and suddenly the Twins were alive and only 2 games back going into the 4-game Tigers series. They needed to win 3 of 4 from the Tigers to pull even. But I guess it wasn't to be, as the Tigers woke up and took Games 2 and 3 after the Twins won Game 1 to sit just 1 game back. Even if they do split the series 2-2 on Thursday after losing 2 of the first 3, they would need significant help from the White Sox, who play 3 games to close out the season against the Tigers. The Twins who face the Royals for the last 3 games might certainly have to win all 3 games.

Word to the wise, never count Minnesota out. They have done so much this decade with little resources and star players leaving for bigger contracts (ie. Tori Hunter). They seem to get the most out of their ballplayers and it definitely showed in late September this year.