Results tagged ‘ Ryan Howard ’
Quick NL Postseason predictions!
Here are my quick postseason predictions for the National League Division Series.
Phillies/Cardinals: Only if the Cardinals had a healthy Adam Wainwright in the rotation would I predict an upset of the Phillies. However, with Chris Carpenter and the solid pitching of Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia, I think the Cardinals can compete and possibly upset the heavily favorite Phillies. But the possibility of a Cardinals upset is in all reality a long shot, as the Phillies rotation is by far the most complete of all the teams in the postseason. The combination of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels will be difficult to score upon, let alone beat.
Lineup by lineup, the Cardinals have a slight edge. The Cardinals offense is led by early NL MVP Lance Berkman, who put up incredible numbers in his first season with the Cardinals. Albert Pujols put a miserable start to his season behind, by finishing with a strong .299 batting average, 37 home runs and an OPS of .905. Adding to Berkman and Pujols offensive production is third baseman David Freese. Freese is by far a better offensive producer than Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco, posting a OBP of .350 and a .299 batting average, compared with Polanco’s .335 OBP and .277 batting average. But with that being said, what wins games in October is pitching and defense, and the Phillies have both. Look for Philadelphia starters to neutralize the Cardinals offense, while the Phillies offense in the other hand will win games with timely hitting from their best offensive players Jimmy Rollins, Hunter Pence and Ryan Howard.
Phillies in 4.
Brewers/DBacks: The surprising Arizona Diamondbacks are in the postseason this year, even though most experts picked them to finish last. I certainly did. Coming into the season, the Diamondbacks looked like a rebuilding team rather than a division champion. I expected them to dump players like Justin Upton, Miguel Montero by the trade deadline as I figured their season would be over by July 31. Instead the Diamondbacks put together a strong season , led by one time Yankee prospect Ian Kennedy and surprised everyone by beating out the World Series Champions San Francisco Giants for the division crown.
Brewers on the other hand took advantage of the Cardinals losing Adam Wainwright, and the Reds disappointing season to win the NL Central. The Brew-crew won the NL Central with offense and finally with pitching, as Zach Greinke anchored a rotation that was virtually unbeatable at home. For that reason, I think the Brewers will win this series and head to the NLCS. The Brewers will be difficult to beat at home, and I just don’t trust Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Joe Saunders to pitch well in the big moment. Saunders failed to do that for the Angels in 2009 and will fail the Dbacks this season. Also, as impressive as Ian Kennedy was this season, this will be his first playoff appearance and the moment might just be a bit too big for the kid. Brewers are tough at home and will be tougher in a short series.
Brewers in 4.
No Trade For Yankees, Deadline Winners
As the trade deadline came and went yesterday afternoon, the Yankees opted not to make a move for the first time since 1999. What I take from this are two things: The Yankees are protecting prospects to trade for better players than were available this season, and that the front office believes some of these prospects will be the backbone of future Yankee teams.
The availability of top of the rotation starting pitchers this season were few and far between. Pitchers like Jared Weaver, Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, Clayton Kershaw, Chris Carpenter, etc., are either pitching for contending teams, or are being held on to by their clubs (yes I know Josh Johnson is hurt). The few top of the rotation starters that were avialable, like Ubaldo Jimenez, carried such a large price tag for the Yankees that they were not willing to pay it. According to reports, the Rockies were asking for the Yankees best 3 top prospects in Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero; moreover, they asked for other prospects, players the Yankees were not willing to part with. Brian Cashman didn’t want to send, what could be the future of this franchise, away for Ubaldo Jimenez, a pitcher that has posted a 10-16 record since the second half of last season. Likewise, other clubs were asking for the same prospects for players that were just not worth it, like Eric Bedard. So instead of pulling the trigger on a trade, Cashman, for the moment, did the right thing in holding on to Banuelos, Betances, and Montero.
If by any chance, a pitcher like Chris Carpenter, or Clayton Kershaw, become avialable this winter to the Yankees, then a Betances, Banuelos or Montero could be traded. But the list of players that were in the market this season made it inconceivable for the Yankees to part with these talented prospects.
Hanging on to the three prospects also says that the front office views some of these minor leaguers as the future of the Yankees. Lets face it, the Yankees as a team is aging before our very own eyes and in the future, the front office will have to replace players from within the organization. Maybe in Cashman’s eyes, he sees Dellin Betances, or Many Banuelos as the future top of the rotation one and two. Or maybe he sees either one of them starting out as a starters in the rotation, struggle in that role real bad throught a season that, if the Yankees make the post season, either could be demoted to the bullpen. Then in, lets say, Game 2 of a playoff series, one of them comes out of the bullpen and gives the Yankees three innings of effective relief, becoming so impressive in that role that during Spring Training of the next season either are made into relievers. Then, during a successful season as middle relievers, setting up for a very good Yankee closer, either one of them the next season becomes the Yankees closer for about 16 years, winning multiple championships in the process. Sound familiar?
Winners of the deadline…
The biggest winners of the trade deadline have to be the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies. First the Rangers shored up their bullpen by trading for Mike Adams and Koji Uehara. Both of these relievers are an excellent bridge to Neftali Feliz, as Mike Adams has posted a 1.13 ERA in 48 appearences for the San Diego Padres. In 43 appearences for the Orioles, Koji Uehara posted a 1.71 ERA with 13 holds, just giving up 9 earned runs in total. The Rangers have an explosive offense and solid starting pitching. Now they have a very solid bullpen, with one of the young best closers in the game getting support from two of the best short middle relievers this season.
And then there is the Philadelphia Phillies. It is clear to anyone watching the Phillies this season that they miss Jayson Werth. Throughout the season, Ryan Howard has been lacking the protection that Werth provided him the past two season. Because of it Howard had a very mediocre first half. So the Phillies traded for outfielder Hunter Pence, the all-star outfielder who will definately provide the protection that Howard sorely needs and more importantly, Pence will provide almost the same, if not the same pop Werth provided the Phillies. In short, the Phillies lineup just got better and since they have the best rotation in the game, they are now truly the favorites to win the whole thing.
Rangers/Yankees war of words part 23
The war of words between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees front offices continues, this time Randy Levine, President of the Yankees, responds with what is a rather very low blow to the Rangers, after their owner Chuck Greenberg said his negotiations with Cliff Lee was part of the reason why the lefty didn’t sign with the Yankees. Levine called the comments by Greenberg delusional and added that Greenberg should keep his team off “welfare”.
Look, as a devoted Yankees fan I already have a very low opinion of Chuck Greenberg. His disparaging comments towards Yankees fans during the Fall Classic last October was an insult to me and to those fans who have supported the franchise before their recent 16 year run success. I would like to think that Greenberg was refering to the frauds or bandwagon fans (they usually seat in the Bleachers..) but he wasn’t because he was refering to people like me. So whatever stupid thing Greenberg has said since then I have ignored. His comments regarding the Cliff Lee negotiations are also stupid since it was clear that Lee didn’t want to stay in Texas and didn’t want to go to New York. Had Philadelphia not traded Lee (a move they probably regretted when Ryan Howard stared at strike three in the NLCS…not that it would have matter since Cody Ross roughed up Lee, Halladay and Hamels during the Giants post-season run) he would have resigned with the Phillies anyway. So Greenberg’s comments were just dumb…something that should be ignored.
But someone within the Yankee brass didn’t ignore them and fired off a completely asinine rant against Greenberg and the Rangers. Randy Levine’s comments about the Rangers staying off welfare are disgraceful and are truly a disservice to the League. The “welfare” system that Levine suggests the Rangers stay off from, is the system that keeps the economics of baseball from completely spiraling out of control and from having big market clubs completely dominate the game, while medium to small market teams, like the Rangers, would be out of luck with no chance at success. As imperfect as the system is, that welfare system saved the Rangers from bankruptcy and gave that franchise new life and hope of becoming a competitive team again. Moreover, after the questionable signing of Rafael Soriano to a ridiculous 3 year contract, I think Levine and others within the Yankee brass (except for Cashman, the spendthrift GM who was the only voice of reason regarding the signing of Soriano) should keep their mouths shut about the economics of other clubs. Seriously, it’s time for the grownups in both organizations to reign in this foolish war of words.
Post season…
Let the (Post-Season) games begin. Tomorrow the road to the World Series begins for all 8 teams still alive this baseball season. As the other 24 teams in the league make plans for next year, the final 8 prepare to battle it out for baseball’s ultimate prize: A World Series Championship. So here are my short predictions.
American League Prediction:
Rangers v Rays:
I say the Rays win this series in five games. In the end, I do believe the Rays will do enough to manufacture enough runs to beat Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis. I also expect a big series from BJ Upton who will have to pick up the slack if Longoria doesn’t play. But even if Longoria plays, the Rays won’t win if Upton doesn’t produce. So the key for the Rays to win this series is simple: jump all over Cliff Lee in game one, and out pitch the rest of the Rangers staff. James Shields will have to be Big Game James and Matt Garza has to repeat the post season performance he put together in 2008.
Of course, just because I think the Rays could win in five doesn’t mean that the Rangers won’t surprise me and win this series. Cliff Lee has emerged as a dominant post-season pitcher, and I don’t expect that to change tomorrow. He will be tough on the Rays lineup and if CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis pitch well, the Rangers could beat the Rays. But I don’t expect to see Wilson and Lewis pitch well.
Yankees v Twins:
I’m biased, so the Yankees will win..enough said. However, could this be the year the Twins finally get over the hump? For all the Yankee fans who wished for a Twins/Yankees series, all I have to say is..be careful of what you wish for…
National League Prediction:
Phillies v Reds:
The Phillies are the class of the National League and will begin the road to their second World Series championship in the last three years (it makes me sick just typing that) tomorrow at home against the Reds. I expect Doc Halladay’s first post season game to be a great one. Halladay has always been a great regular season pitcher, and tomorrow I expect him to become a great Post-Season pitcher. Roy Halladay could be this year’s Cliff Lee for the Phillies. And unlike last year, the Phillies will have two top pitchers to ride this post season, and Roy Oswalt, a veteran post season pitcher will provide that Phillies staff with the experience and the arm they so miserably lacked last season, especially during the World Series. Moreover, the Phillies lineup is stack and could be a nightmare for the Reds starting rotation.
Where the Reds have a slight edge over the Phillies however, will be in the bullpen. The Reds have three tough lefties that could shut down Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez. Now that Travis Wood will be in the bullpen, along with Rhodes and Chapman, the Reds could steal a few games, or maybe even the series from the Phillies if any of the games come down to a big at-bat in the late innings by any of Phillies three top left handed hitters. However, the Reds will need a big performances from Arroyo, Volquez and Cueto and frankly, against this Phillies lineup that would be too much to ask for.
Giants v Braves:
I predict that the Giants will win in four games. San Francisco’s pitching will be too much for the Braves to handle, and the poor defense of the Braves infield will be a liability throughout the series. Derek Lowe had a great September and he has the post season experience to come up big, but the idea that Hudson and Hanson outpitching this formidable Giants staff is unrealistic.
Moyer impressive
I wish I had a nickle for everytime I have heard the expression that “momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher,” because I’d be a very wealthy man today. After being literally bombed on his last start against the Boston Red Sox, in which he only lasted one inning plus, Jamie Moyer comes out today and tosses 8 innings of 2 run three hit baseball. You’d think that the Yankees would be riding the momentum the gained yesterday after slapping around Doc Halladay, but Moyer stopped the Yankees offense dead on its tracks.
Moyer was simply dealing tonight. Every inning it seems that there was a 3-1 on a Yankee hitter and everytime, Moyer threw a strike to make the count full, and then throw a pitch that would get him out of the inning. The way he did it was by throwing his fastball at the corners. When Moyer hit his spots, his experience takes over and he is able to pitch his game the way he wants to.
Even better for Moyer, the Phillies got him runs as they were able to jump all over AJ Burnett, who once again didn’t have any control and gave the Yankees another poor outing. The Phillies offensive break out included a 3 run single by Shane Victorino, and back to back homeruns by Howard and Werth.
The Phillies earned a very good win, and a much needed one, since both the Mets and Braves won their game today. As for the Yankees, not everything was bad news from tonight’s game. First, the Yankee bullpen did a great job in relief of Burnett, as they held the Phillies to just the six runs. That performance kept the Yankees in the game as they were able to bring up the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. The other positive tonight is that Posada is hitting again. I know he struck out to end the game, but he also hit his third homerun in the last four games. As Posada gets more games catching the more comfortable he will feel up at the plate and that is good news.
Yankees need to put this loss behind them and comeback tomorrow and win the series.
I hate predictions
With the start of the Major League Baseball season a little more than 24 hours away, it is customary for fans and experts alike to make predictions about what will and won’t happen during the year. I, of course, am no expert (only because I don’t get paid to write about baseball), but I am a fan and will therefore make a few predictions. Even though I hate making predictions, mostly because I’m seldom right, I won’t let that stop me from making a few predictions now.
Predictions National League East Winner: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are without a doubt the best team in the NL East and I’d say the entire National League. The Phils have a loaded lineup that includes perennial MVP candidates Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. The rest of the lineup is complimented by solid players like Raul Ibanez (who had a second career year last year in his first NL season), Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. The core of this lineup last year combined for 146 homeruns, (Ibanez 34, Howard 45, Utley 31, Werth 36) 408 runs and 426 RBI’s, will be a formidable obsticle to the rest of the National Leauge, which is now more pitching than offense oriented. More importantly, the Phillies lineup can challenge any lineup in the American League, including the New York Yankees. This is what makes the Phillies the favorites out of the east and possibly out of the whole National League. But offense isn’t the only thing that favors the Phillies. With the addition of Roy Doc Halladay during the off-season, the Phillies have the best pitcher in all of baseball anchoring their rotation. Second to Halladay is Cole Hamels, who will hopefully bounce back to his 2008 form again and win 14 games or more. The Halladay/Hamels one-two punch could be one of the best in the National League.
National League Central Winner: St. Louis Cardinals
The central division will be the Cardinals’ to lose. I’m not sold on the Chicago Cubs making a run to the division title, so I will stick with the Cardinals because of their pitching. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright combined for a record of 36 wins and 12 losses. Thanks to their efforts the Cardinals boasted a 3.36 ERA that was forth best in the National League. Aside from pitching however, the Cardinals will have a solid offense to provide Wainwright and Carpenter with solid run support. The Cardinals offensive leader is no doubt Albert Pujols. Pujols, the National League MVP last season, lead the NL in runs, OBP and homeruns. With the resigning of Matt Holliday, Pujols will get much needed protection in the lineup and will likely win another MVP award. The key to the Cardinals this season will be the same as last year, pitching, pitching, pitching. I believe the this team has what it takes to give the Phillies a challenge in the National League, but will they have enough offense to outslug Philadelphia, only time will tell.
National League West Winner: Colorado Rockies
The Rockies will continue in 2010 what they started in 2009 after Clint Hurdle was fired. They will lead the league in pitches per plate appearences, will again hit above the NL batting average and will likely lead the NL again in team OPS. Troy Tulowitzki will follow his career year last year with another solid season. A young short stop like Tulowitzki will only get better in the coming years.
The Rockies rotation will be anchored by Ubaldo Jimenez and Aaron Cook. However, the loss of Jason Marquis could cost the Rockies in the post season.
National League Champions: Philadelphia Phillies
As stated above, the Phillies are simply the best team in the NL. Can the Cardinals give the Phillies a run for the NL title? definately, but I believe the Phillies just have too much offense and will outscore, and when Halladay pitches, outpitch their opponents.
So these are my National League predictions. I’ll write my AL predictions later today or tonight. As for my NL Wild Card prediction, I predict that anyone could take it. The goal for teams in both leagues is to win their respective divisions, not the silly wild card.
Yankees take Game 3!
In my humble opinion the main story of this game is Andy Pettitte’s performance. There is a reason why he has the most wins in the post season and you saw it tonight. After giving up three runs in the 2nd inning, Pettitte put that rocky inning behind him settled down and pitch a good game the rest of the way. The only mistake he made after the 2nd inning was that moonshot by Werth that hit the second deck. What is more impressive by Pettitte’s performance was how he handled the tough lefty hitters in the Phillies lineup. The lefties for the Phillies went a combined 0-8 tonight. Just think about that, the Yankees are down by 3 runs, their offense is sleeping and Pettitte finds a way to hold the big hitters in the Phillies lineup hitless tonight. That is why the Yankees won this game. You can hit homeruns, doubles, triples and score a lot of runs but in the end the thing that wins games in the post season is smart pitching,and Pettitte was smart tonight.
The other story of the game was Nick Swisher. So far this post-season he has been absolutely dreadful, but all it took tonight was one at bat by Swisher to get his confidence up. His double off Hamels started the 3 run rally that gave the Yankees the lead for good. More importantly, Swisher gave stretched the Yankees lead with his solo homerun in the top of the 6th. What Swisher needs to do the rest of the series is build on those two at bats.
Thumbs up to……
Andy Pettitte. He battled all night and was close to the breaking point but never broke. Andy Pettitte didn’t have great stuff tonight but he found a way to out pitch Cole Hamels and that is what great post season pitchers do, and Pettitte is certainly that.
Nick Swisher. Picked a good time in the game to get a key base hit. His double in the 5th inning sparked a 3 run rally that won the game for the Yankees. His homerun in the 6th inning gave the Yankees an insurance run they would add to during the rest of the game. As I wrote above, all Swisher needs is to build on this at bats and end his slump. He is a big part of this team and the Yankees win when he is hitting.
Jayson Werth. Boy can this guy hit. When Werth hit his second homerun of the game the only words that came out of my mouth were, ‘what was the meal on that flight.’ It was just a few years ago that the Dodgers gave up on him which makes a person ask, what the hell were the Dodgers thinking? Either way, it looks like Werth will be a problem for the Yankees to figure out the rest of this series if they want to win and that is not good news. The Phillies lineup is loaded with potential headaches.
Alex Rodriguez. All I have to say is, what a great way to get his first career World Series hit.
Thumbs down to….
Cole Hamels. I just don’t understand why he gets rattled after giving up 2 runs to Alex Rodriguez. For some odd reason he is not the same pitcher he was last year.
Yankees Situational hitting. Yes they got 8 runs, but how many solo homeruns can this team hit and expect to win the game? They just have to do better.
Phil Hughes. Giving up a bad homerun to the 8th place hitter after striking out the lead off man in the 9th is not what a smart pitcher does. Hughes is a smart pitcher, has been a smart pitcher, but he has lost his head during the playoffs.
What do I expect tomorrow.
I expect CC Sabathia to step up and show the baseball world why he is the Yankees ace. I also expect him to give the bullpen a much needed rest, especially a rest for Mariano River whose arm is about to fall off if the Yankee bullpen doesn’t step up in the late innings.
Yankees even series.
Well, so much for my baseball predictions and for that matter, the predictions of everyone who follows baseball and who is paying attention to this year’s World Series. I, along with everyone else, predicted that AJ Burnett and Pedro Martinez would give up a lot of runs and be out of the game rather early. Well, that prediction was wrong. Dead wrong. Everyone thought game 2 would be a slugging fest, instead the Baseball Gods said NO and gave us a pitchers duel instead.
And just how good were tonight starters? Well, for the Phillies, Pedro Martinez gave them another good outing. Tonight he pitched 6 innings and gave up only 3 runs, two on mistake pitches to Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui. Otherwise, Martinez pitched a great game striking 8 Yankees in the process. Many Yankee fans felt that Martinez was going to be lit up tonight and they were wrong. Martinez has never been intimidated by the Yankees and tonight wasn’t any different.
On the other hand, AJ Burnett pitched a great game for the Yankees as he was on his A game tonight. All night long Burnett used his breaking ball to neutralized the meat of the Phillies order, as Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez went a combined 1-11 with 5 strike outs. When a pitcher is able to do that to these 4 hitters, there is a good chance that pitcher will in the game. Tonight, AJ Burnett got the job done.
Thumbs up….
….AJ Burnett. He gave the Yankees what they need, which was a solid outing and a chance to win the game. His curveball was bitting and gave the Phillies left handed batters problems all night long.
Thumbs up to Pedro Martinez, who also pitched a very good game. Martinez made only 2 mistakes tonight and both were hit out of the park, otherwise, he pitched a very good and very smart game, keeping the Yankees off balance tonight.
Thumbs down to…
….Yankees offense, especially its situational hitting. This has been the story all year long and again tonight the Yankees fail to get hits with runners on base especially with runners in scoring position. Tonight the Yankees were 1-for-5 and missed an opportunity to stretch the 2 run lead in the bottom of the 7 with 2 runners on and two outs.
Angels take game 3, and Phillies rally to win!
The best words that can describe the Angels victory yesterday afternoon against the Yankees are these: Situational Hitting. So far this post-season, the Yankees have been very dependent on the homerun, all the while failing to manufacture runs by the doing the little things that good teams do to win. Twice yesterday afternoon the Yankees had runners on third and first with 1 out in the inning, and they twice failed to get that run from third. In the 8th, the Yankees had runners on first and second, and again failed to move the runners into scoring position and failed to drive in the run from second. The bottom of the Yankees lineup was absolutely dreadful in key situations. Nick Swisher and Melkey Cabrera failed, absolutely failed to drive in the run from third in the 2nd and 4th innings. Robinson Cano failed to move the runners on first and second with no one out. These are two situations in which the Yankees should have manufactured a run. Instead the Yankees manufactured runs bia the homerun, smacking four solo blasts. The Angels on the other hand got the job done in key situations. After Howie Kendrick got the Angels on the board with a solo blast in the fifth, Vladimir Guerrero blasted a game tying two run homerun with 2 outs in the sixth. In the 7th, Howie Kendrick blasted a triple off Joba, pinch hitter Maicer Itzturis didn’t waste any time in getting a sac-fly to drive in Kendrick to give the Angels a 4-3 lead. After the Yankees tied it, the Angels wasted several opportunities to win it, especially in the 10th with the bases loaded and no outs; but in the 11th, with two outs, Kendrick gets a single to get on base and attempts to steal 2nd when Jeff Mathis hits his second consecutive double, this one to win the game.
I guess the good news for the Yankees is that their pitching was good enough to keep them in the game all afternoon long. Andy Pettitte pitched good enough to win, but unfortunately made two mistakes, one to Kendrick that woke up the Angels and the other to the aging, yet lethal, Vladimir Guerrero. Otherwise, Pettitte pitched an effective 6.1 innings of 3 run baseball, hitting his spots with his curveball and keeping the Angels off balance for most of the afternoon with his cut fastball. Aside from Aceves and Chamberlain, the bullpen kept the Yankees in the game, but was again overused. The pitching star for the Yankees bullpen was Mariano Rivera who bore down the Angels bases loaded threat to get out of the jam. Rivera’s post season ERA this year is 0.
Angels bullpen also got the job done. Jered Weaver started the game for the Angels, and unfortunately served 3 homers to the Yankees. Unlike his last start against the Red Sox, this time Weaver was ordinary and pitched 5 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 homeruns 3 earned runs. The bullpen on the other hand pitched 6 innings of 2 hit baseball. The only mistake was the homerun Kevin Jepsen allowed.
Thumbs up to….
…Howie Kendrick, the Yankee killer woke the Angels from their slumber and got them rolling in the 5th inning with a blast to left field. He also tripled to score the first go ahead run for the Angels in the afternoon, and got on base to score the winning run. Kendrick was 3-for-5, with 3 run scored and 1 RBI.
Thumbs up to Jeff Mathis. The light hitting catcher, with an average of .211 during the regular season, came up big twice by hitting two doubles. The first double set up a potential game winning rally that failed in the 10th. In the 11th, Mathis hit another double, this time driving in Kendrick.
Thumps up to Alex Rodriguez. He is getting the job done this post season, and for the third time during these playoffs, Alex Rodriguez hits a homerun when the count was 3-1. Without A-Rod in the lineup, the Yankees would be home right now watching the playoffs. Instead A-Rod has been clutch.
Thumbs up to Derek Jeter who hit his 20th post season home run. Of course, this stat is a little misleading, because the person behind Jeter, Mickey Mantle, hit 18 World Series homeruns. But nevertheless, 20 homeruns in post-season play is impressive.
Thumbs down to…
….Bobby Abreu. I mean what was he thinking stopping in between second and third after he got a double? Abreu who is a smart and very good ballplayer, basically the Angels MVP, ran his team out of a potential rally in the 8th. As a baseball fan, it is disappointing to see so many mental errors being committed this post-season.
Thumbs down to Joe Giradi. In game 2, Giradi overmanaged and overused his bullpen. Luckily for Giradi the Angels bailed him out. In game 3 however, Giradi’s overmanaging clearly cost the Yankees the game. Why take out Demaso Marte, a lefty and bring in your other lefty just to get one out? Why take Robertson out of the game, with 2 outs and bring in Aceves? Clearly the moment was too much for Giradi and he overplayed his hand.
Phillies Rally
Like the Angels win yesterday, the Phillies win can also be summed up in a few words and these are: Situational Hitting. The Phillies were down to their last at-bat and with a 1-1 count, Jimmy Rollins hits a 2 run double that splits the right field gap giving the Phillies the 5-4 victory. Unfortunately, I missed the game and only saw the highlights, but like the Angels, the Phillies win because one of their hitters got the job done in a key situation in the game and was clutch. Good teams in the post-season manufacture runs with 2 outs. When teams failed to do that, they usually wind up losing.
Thumbs up to….
….Jimmy Rollins, his walk off double has the Phillies one win away from going back to their 2nd consecutive World Series.
Thumbs up to Ryan Howard, whose 2 run homer in the first inning of last night’s ballgame tied him with Lou Gherig for consecutive post season games with an RBI(8 games). Of course, the stat is also misleading because Gherig did it in the World Series. Nevertheless, Ryan Howard is getting the job done and he is the reason why the Phillies are a game away from winning the National League championship.
Thumbs down to…
….Jonathan Broxton. All you had to do was get one more out. Instead of having the NLCS tied at two games, Broxton’s mistake to Rollins has the Phillies knocking on the World Series door..
Phillies rally to win series.
I have to say that I am sorry I missed this game tonight because of Monday Night Football (I’m a Jets fan), but watching the highlights from this game, you have to give the Phillies a lot of credit. For a second cold night in a row, the Phillies rally to take the lead and beat the Rockies at Coors Field. All series long the Phillies have come up with clutch hit after clutch hit and tonight Ryan Howard had the biggest clutch hit with two outs in the 9th to bring in two runs. Jayson Werth completed the rally with an RBI single to bring home Howard and a trip to the NLCS. This victory by the Phils tonight was also possible because Cliff Lee once again pitched a magnificent post season game. Although he did not get the decision tonight, Lee was able to hold the Rockies to only 5 hits and 1 earned run. The only trouble for Lee came late in the game when he left the game with a runner on 2nd base with 1 out. The Phillies bullpen however couldn’t find a way to get out of the 8th without giving up the lead. But in the end it didn’t matter, the Phillies just had too much offense and the Rockies just couldn’t put them away.
Thumbs up to…
A big thumbs up to Brad Lidge. Unlike last season, 2009 has been pretty much a forgetable one. Tonight however, Lidge found the intestinal fortitude to get the job done in the clutch and nailed down a second consecutive save.
David Veloz
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