The Yankee Clipper: The Game That Ain't Got No Alibi

Last night's Yankees game against the Diamondbacks was U-G-L-Y. No doubt about that one. The Yankees were gifted opportunities because of a plethora of walks and some basehits but they weren't able to turn them into runs due to baserunning errors, great defensive plays by Arizona, GIDPs or just bad "clutch" hitting. It was a game the Yankees had no business winning...but good teams win games like that and they gained a game on Tampa Bay and Boston. Let's look back at the week that was in Yankee land:

1. An Ugly Game, Indeed. Bronx Banter's Emma Span has a title that knocks mine out of the park (and has some good suggestions at the bottom. The key stat: 10 hits and 13 walks for the Yankees. Yowza! Joe Pawlikowski from FanGraphs writes about Derek Jeter's propensity to hit into double plays (which he did twice last night and the team did 5 times!). Jay from Fack Youk has many more of the gory details. But the New York Times' Ben Shpigel put it best: "The first inning of the Yankees’ game against Arizona on Wednesday night included five walks, four hits, three runs, two base-running blunders, two caught stealings and one wild pitch, and the mayhem was only starting. To the exasperation of both managers, an evening of ragged baseball and mediocre pitching dragged on and on at Chase Field, all the way into the ninth inning and beyond."
2. Mariano Rivera Walked A Tightrope...and Won. Bases loaded. No one out. One-run lead. And on the mound where his most replayed, most famous, and most scarring collapse occurred. But is there a man you would rather have on the mound than Mariano Rivera. After most of us on the East Coast had gone to bed, the Sandman sent the D-Backs to bed with a pop up, a pop up and a strikeout. Goodnight. LoHud's Chad Jennings writes about Mo's long and strange night but it went beyond that. It reminded all of us how good Mariano has been at the Houdini act for so long and Mark Simon of ESPN reviews Mariano's best. It will be a sad, sad day when this man decides to hang it up. As Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave Blues, we should thank Mo. The same with Andy Pettitte who Bobby Valentine wrote about on Tuesday.
3. I Think They Can Still Play Better. After reading this blog post from Rebecca of This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes, I can see I'm not the only one. This year they're 45-27 through their first 72 games with the best run differential in baseball (last year they had 40 wins and were 4 games out of first). The last time they had more wins through 72 games was 2004 (46). Although the Yankees have been getting great production from certain parts they've been getting less than expected from the top 4 in their Opening Day lineup considering Derek Jeter is nowhere near last year's numbers, Nick Johnson occupies the DL, Mark Teixeira has not figured out April has ended and Alex Rodriguez looks like a less-powerful version of himself. That doesn't even begin to factor in a sub-par bullpen, Curtis Granderson's struggles, Jorge's injury, a bad start for CC Sabathia, or the fact that A.J. Burnett has been awful lately and, as Matt Imbrogno of TYU writes, his K-rate has begun to disappear thanks to a lack of a good out pitch. So I think this team still has room to improve. Scary as that is for the rest of the American League. 
4. Patience At The Plate From An Unlikely Source. Quick, who leads the Major Leagues in pitches per plate appearance? It's not Mr. Three-And-Two, Nick Swisher. It's not the AL batting leader, Robinson Cano. It's not Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, A-Rod, or Posada. It's Brett freaking Gardner. And how about this stat from ESPN's TMI blog: Brett Gardner leads the majors with 4.53 pitches per plate appearance. That would be the highest average since Rickey Henderson’s 4.55 in 1997. After a 4-4 night on Monday and going 2-5 last night, Gardner is now 11th in the AL in hitting (.322), 4th in SB (24), 6th in runs (49), and 5th in OBP (.402). Not too shabby for the guy most people thought was nothing but a fourth outfielder. 

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NYaT's Expert MLB Predictions for 2010

We're not really experts--but we're really doing our predictions. Last year I did pretty well. Not great. I had the Yankees and Phillies in the League Championship Series. So, hey, I did OK. But let's get ready for 2010 with some more "expert" predictions. Here's my predictions with the rest of the blog writers chiming in:

AL East
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox  (Wild Card)
3. Rays
4. Orioles
5. Blue Jays

This is a three team race with a third team (the Orioles) who have an up-and-coming team. The Blue Jays have some good young players but are probably a few years from competition. The Orioles have one of the best young outfields in baseball (Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Nolan Reimold) but their starting pitching and bullpen may be too raw to compete in 2010. So that leaves the big three. I love the Rays team, but while everything came together for their bullpen in 2008, last year we saw what happens when that bullpen implodes. They will hit and they will field, but can they protect leads? I'm not confident in that. That leaves the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Yankees were 8 games better last year. While the Red Sox probably improved 8 games with their pitching and defense, the Yankees improved as well, basically replacing Chad Gaudin/Sergio Mitre in the rotation with Javy Vazquez (the only guy to throw 198 innings every season of the past decade). It's going to be closer, but I still think the Red Sox are an acquisition or two from beating the Yankees. While the Yankees could be undone by injuries, the Red Sox injury risks (John Lackey, Josh Beckett, Dice-K, J.D. Drew, etc.) are equally as present. What remains to be seen if Jonathan Papelbon has any ill effects from his implosion in last year's deciding game of the ALDS. The Fenway Faithful may not be too forgiving if he blows a game or two in the opening series vs. the Yankees. The Yankees fans will probably feel the same way if Javy Vazquez starts off slow as well. Ben and Ari took the Yankees with the Red Sox as Wild Card as well. Jay took the Yankees winning the division with the Rays as the division winner. Sarah has the Red Sox winning the division with Tampa winning the Wild Card. (picture from the New York Daily News)

AL Central:
1. White Sox
2. Twins
3. Tigers
4. Indians
5. Royals

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Other People's Opinions On The NLCS

Let's take a look at what everyone else has to say about the NLCS which is about to begin:

History/NLDS: The Boston Herald recaps last year's NLCS match-up between these two teams. It ends up these two teams have met each other quite a bit in the NLCS according to Big League Stew. Bill Conlin writes for the Philadelphia Daily News about the history between these two teams. Sports Illustrated's list of heroes and goats in the first round has a lot of Phillies and Dodgers. Big League Stew and the LA Times say we're getting closer to a Freeway Series. The LA Times talks about an ill-timed divorce occurring with the Dodgers owner. Peter Gammons talks about the problems with the Dodgers management and how that affects Joe Torre. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes about the different roads both managers took in getting to this point.

Roster/Rotation: The Phillies dropped Brett Myers (who was NOT happy about it) and Kyle Kendrick and added Chan Ho Park and Eric Bruntlett to their NLCS roster according to MLB.com. The Philadelphia Daily News tries to figure out which Cole Hamels will show up and The Philadelphia Inquirer says that Hamels has a chance to reverse his fortunes.. Big League Stew asks if Cliff Lee can duplicate. Philadelphia Daily News has some information on Pedro Martinez going in Game 2. Rob Neyer doesn't like Eric Bruntlett on the Phillies roster or Vincente Padilla starting Game 2 over Randy Wolf. The OC Register talks about Clayton Kershaw trying to change his teams fortunes in Game 1.

Analysis: The Good Phight asks if the Dodgers really do have the advantage? Big League Stew's 'Duk has five points for this NLCS. Bill Plaschke says the Dodgers will be pitching inside (unlike last year's NLCS). The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies have played like they did last year. The New York Times says this won't be a cakewalk for the Dodgers unlike the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. FanGraphs takes a look at the series. ESPN's Eric Neel thinks that the Dodgers bullpen is a big strength during this rematch. The LA Times say that the kids on the Dodgers are growing up.

Predictions: Ken Rosenthal has the Phillies in 7. Keith Law picks the Phillies in 6. So does Ken Davidoff. ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra, writing for NBC Sports, agrees with me and picks the Dodgers in 7.

NLCS Preview: Cliff Lee/Chase Utley vs Dodgers OF and Pitching

I've been back-and-forth on this series. I've believed for a while that the Dodgers and Phillies were the two best teams in the National League. I backed off that a bit when the Cardinals faced the Dodgers. I believe that starting pitching always wins out in the playoffs and a series that featured Carpenter and Wainwright potentially going 4 out of the 5 games would trump whatever the Dodgers threw out there. And, it may have very well happened but Matt Holliday dropped the ball in Game 2 and Games 4 and 5 never happened. I also believed that the Rockies would push the Phillies to the brink. And it looked like it was going to happen before Huston Street met Ryan Howard.

So where does this leave us? Let's take a look

Los Angeles Dodgers:
This is their year!

• They had the best run differential in the majors during the regular season, 58 runs better than the Phillies. They have good starting pitcher, good relief, and a steady closer (and Jonathan Broxton is still the best closer in this series). They have some top hitters mixed with timely hitting. They have Joe Torre. They have the memory of their stinging loss last year. It's the perfect combination for a championship.

• The Dodgers swept the first round of the playoffs with superb pitching. Their 2.00 ERA was second only to the Yankees in the Division Series. If you're going to beat the Phillies, you need good pitching.
  

• Andre Eithier is the one-man walk-off machine and he had 6 hits, including 4 XBH and 2 HR, and five runs scored in the division series (so Eithier scored one less run than the entire Cards team in the first round). Matt Kemp is probably the best center fielder left in the playoffs (if not in baseball as a whole) and he also went deep in the division series. And Manny Ramirez is starting to heat up with 4 hits in the division series, and 3 of those being extra base hits. If Manny hits like the Manny of the past, that's a sick outfield, especially with Rafael Furcal (.500 batting average) heating up and setting the table for them.

• Home-field advantage is huge. Every team with home-field advantage advanced in the first round and the Dodgers project much better in the pitcher's haven in LA than the bandbox in Philly. The Dodgers are 5 games better at home.
  

The Dodgers will be feeling blue (again):

• The Dodgers are starting the third youngest pitcher ever to start a Game 1 when they'll throw Clayton Kershaw on the mound. The last time someone this young started Game 1 was Rick Ankiel and we see how well that ended up. Vicente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda and Randy Wolf will follow. That means Chad Billingsly, the Dodgers leader in wins with 12, will be pitching out of the bullpen. I have to say that pitching staff doesn't scare me one bit.
  

• The Dodgers bullpen is not as good as one may think. As Baseball-Reference points out, Dodgers relievers appeared in the 4th most games this year. While this is typical of a Joe Torre bullpen, it doesn't necessarily bode well for success. But much more unsettling is this: the Dodgers had 26 blown saves, 3rd worst in baseball and only converted on 63% of save opportunities. As we saw in the first round, that type of percentage can kill a playoff run.

Philadelphia Phillies:
First NL team to repeat since the Big Red Machine!

• Cliff Lee is dominating and is the type of pitcher who could carry the Phillies (a la Cole Hamels last year).

• They are the champs and until someone dethrones them, they are still the champs. They play with the experience of having been there and the knowledge that they can overcome obstacles. This is no small feat.
  

• The Phillies are actually a slightly better road team so the lack of home-field advantage may not phase them. Plus, they have the added bonus of having beaten the Dodgers in last years playoffs.
  

• The Phillies are one of the best baserunning teams in the majors according to Baseball Prospectus (and we saw in the division series how important good baserunning is) and are led by Chase Utley, who happens to be one of the most underrated players in the majors. He is a phenomenal defensive player (UZR only slightly behind Major League Leader Placido Polanco for tops among second basemen) and his WAR, according to FanGraphs, was 4th in the majors, higher than Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Hanley Ramirez, Evan Longoria or anyone left in the playoffs.

• Brad Lidge saved 2 games in the ALDS. It wasn't pretty, but between Lidge, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and the rest of the bullpen, Charlie Manuel has found a way to mix-and-match and get important outs.

• The Phillies can beat you with their bats and they're never out of a game because of it. 1-7 scares you in that lineup which is tough for an opposing batter to deal with. When Jayson Werth is among 4 different 30-HR guys in the middle of the lineup, you know that lineup will be tough to deal with. I don't see scoring runs as being a problem for this Phillies team, especially for those 3 games played in Philadelphia.
  

Not this time, Philly

• Cliff Lee pitched in Game 4 of the ALDS so he can only go in Games 3 and 7. Not having him go three times may hurt the Phillies. That means they're throwing Pedro Martinez in Game 2. Yup...

• Don't fool yourself: this Phillies bullpen is terrible. The Phillies got lucky saving games and if not for an offensive outburst in the 9th inning of Game 4, they would have lost that game behind a Ryan Madson blown save.

• The Phillies were one good managerial decision (where is Joe Beimel in the 9th against Ryan Howard?) or one good umpiring call (I love Chase Utley, but that call was bad) away from going to the brink against Colorado. They're facing a team that swept their first round series handily. I don't know which team that will hurt, but it allows to continue to question how good the Phillies really are.

My prediction: I've gone back and forth and back and forth. I don't see this thing ending in less than 6. Then again, I didn't see the Dodgers winning the first round and they swept. These two teams faced each other in the regular season 7 different times. The Phillies won 3 and scored 25 runs. The Dodgers won 4 and scored 26 runs. I think it'll be that close in this NLCS. Dodgers 4 - Phillies 3.

Key Phillies Pitchers:



Key Dodgers Pitchers:



Key Phillies Hitters:



Key Dodgers Hitters:

Quick Review of Yesterday's Games: ALDS Weekend

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
Game 2 - Yankees 4, Twins 3 (11 innings): What more can I say? I was there! So were 50,006 which was a new record for the New Yankee Stadium as the Stadium shook on multiple occasions. Matt Tolbert's oblique strain was the worst thing that happened to the Yankees in the series as Tolbert's replacement, Brendan Harris, almost singlehandedly won Game 2 for the Twins. David Robertson got his due after getting out of an all-time jam in the top of the 11th. Even though the Yankees won a ridiculously dramatic game that will be a Yankee Classic, all anyone could talk about afterward was instant replay. Earth to the reporters who have nothing better to write: it may not have made a difference! Joe Nathan, one of the top 3 closers in the AL, was on the mound for the Twins with a golden chance to tie this series up at 1, but failed. Then Mark Teixeira finally got a piece of the pie. Some more postgame reaction from fans who were there here, here, here, here, and here.

Game 3 - Yankees 4, Twins 1: The comeback kids did it again and produced some memorable images. It took a while for the offensive to get going against Carl Pavano who was seeking redemption but the Yankees came on late (again) and won. A-Rod continued to crush his playoff reputation. The Yankees helped to tear down the Metrodome and will advance to the ALCS to take on their nemesis, the Angels, instead of their archrival. A-Rod is ready for some payback against the Halos after he continues to pass his test with flying colors. It was fitting it was Posada and the "Old Guard" that helped end the ALDS, though it was really a combination of A-Rod and the "Dynasty Boys". It was also some historically awful postseason baserunning by the Twins that did them in, including "fundamentally sound" Nick Punto who may not be such a gamer after all, as shocking as that is to the Minnesota media. Still, their manager had a lot of classy things to say in defeat. The Twins' run is finally over. Bring on the Angels!


Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
Game 2 - Angels 4, Red Sox 1: For a second game in a row, Boston got out-aced with Jered Weaver out-pitching Josh Beckett. One big inning proved to be too much for the Red Sox. The Angels dominated the Red Sox in Games 1 and 2 wall to wall and put their backs against the Green Monster. The Red Sox just didn't do their part to make Yankees/Red Sox III happen. The bats failed the Red Sox in the first two games. The Red Sox tried to conjure up remembrance of comebacks past to help them out.

Game 3 - Angels 7, Red Sox 6: This was a great scenario for the Red Sox: they got a 12 PM game, at home, against a west coast team that hasn't played well in their ballpark. They got a 5-1 lead and the infamous afternoon shadows started to creep in. There was 4 outs to go and a 5-2 lead so the Red Sox went to Jonathan Papelbon, their lights-out closer. He gave up two runs (allowing two inherited runners to score) in the bottom of the 8th. The Red Sox got an insurance run in the top of the 9th and that looked like it would loom large. In the bottom of the 9th, Papelbon had two outs and an 0-2 count. It's over, right? Not exactly. A total meltdown for Papelbon (and a great job the Angels to expose his flaws) and an ill-conceived intentional walk and the Red Sox are swept in the first round. Well Bostonians can enjoy their cell phones and watching the Yanks and Angels the rest of the postseason. Or there's other ways to get over the Red Sox (H/T Jenn). Jonathan Papelbon may take the blame of Red Sox Nation as they try to fix the team for the future, regroup and figure out what went wrong and why they fell apart as a team. Give credit to Vlad Guerrero for one of the best postseason moments so far (though I won't call it the best) and one of the greatest Angels' victories. The Angels are a tough team.


Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Game 3 - Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1: The Cardinals never recovered from Matt Holliday dropping that line drive. What a swing of events (Billy Buckner-esque) as the Cardinals are eliminated in a sweep and the Dodgers move on to the NLCS once again. If the Cards could have won this game, they would have had Carpenter and Wainwright (who was brilliant) pitching in Games 4 and 5. But it never got to that point. The Cards looked flat and dejected and the Dodgers just steamrolled all over them. Vincente Padilla feels at home in Los Angeles. Joe Torre is the toast of the town after guiding Los Angeles back to the NLCS. It almost feels like it will be Joe Torre back in the Bronx at the end of October, a finish baseball needs.


Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies Game 3 - Phillies 6, Rockies 5: After being snowed out, the Phillies and Rockies played a great, cold one in Colorado. The game went back-and-forth and back-and-forth but the Phillies proved to be more resilient. Give MAJOR props to Charlie Manuel who used his best reliever, Ryan Madson, when it counted the most instead of waiting for the traditional save situation. Brad Lidge got a little redemption for a day as he got the save. Lidge came in one of the worst closers in recent NL history and came out of it with the save after throwing a pitch he hadn't thrown in a very long time. It felt like the Phillies had turned back the clock a year when the game was over. That all being said, Lidge put two runners on base in the 9th so you can't feel that comfortable with him. But it's baby steps. Maybe it was the Colorado pitching. And maybe another bad umpiring decision. Either way, 2-1 lead for the Phillies (who are now in the driver's seat), though it was over way too late for me to stay up and see the end of the game. In fact, it was the longest 9-inning postseason game in NL (NLDS or NLCS) history. With Cliff Lee going tonight, this one could be over.

Today:

• 6 PM game - Phillies @ Rockies: Cliff Lee vs. Jose Jiminez
  
• Dodgers off until NLCS starts Thursday
  
• Yankees and Angels off until ALCS starts Friday

Quick Review of Yesterday's Games: ALDS Day 2

Rockies 5, Phillies 4: Cole Hamels didn't pitch well and then ran to the hospital to be with his wife who was in labor. One of the pitches hit out? A Cole Hamels curveball by Yorvit Torrealba (who took inspiration from his son) which was a first for both of them this season. Then Charlie Manuel decided to dump out the starters out of the bullpen, pitching possible Game 3 starters JA Happ (who got hurt) and Joe Blanton (as well as my favorite-named pitcher, BASTARDO!). Some liked this move, others did not. The Phillies weren't able to come back despite rallying to make it a one-run game and putting two on in the 9th. There was a little role reversal in Philly and the Rockies offense looked revitalized. Now they're heading back to Colorado where it looks like it will snow, tied at 1 game a piece and Pedro Martinez will be on the mound (unless he decides to move Blanton into the rotation after throwing the inning in relief or use Happ coming back from injury). Charlie Manuel intends to keep everyone guessing on who his Game 3 starter will be. That could spell trouble for the Phillies. Also could doom the Phillies? Putting star starting pitchers in to pinch run. After Matt Stairs got on base, the Phillies pinch ran Cliff Lee for him. I know Cliff Lee had a stolen base the day before, but why take the chance? Now Philly goes from being in the driver's seat to needing to pull at least one game out of their hat in Colorado.

Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2: My roommate Ari, a Mets fan, said to me "it seems like Matt Holliday already thinks he's on the Mets." Let's be fair, the reason that the Cardinals had the lead in the first place was because of Holliday's home run and Ryan Franklin didn't have to give up another run. So there is blame to go around. But I don't think that will diminish the pain as the image is rebroadcasted of the catch (and maybe some Dewey-Truman-esque headlines). The one person who is probably happy? Luis Castillo who's dropped pop-up against the Yankees pales in comparison and significance. Adam Wainwright (who pitched brilliantly in a wasted effort) said it was the towels, but Matt Holliday said it was the light. I guess that's manning up, but it's still a loss. Let's see how the "best fans in baseball" react to him down 2-0. The Cards are indeed playing like their division rivals, the Cubs. Although victory dropped into the Dodgers' laps, let's give some credit to the Dodgers for not giving up and also their depth as they are on the cusp of another NLCS.

Angels 5, Red Sox 0: Red Sox fans, C.B. Bucknor did not lose this game for you; John Lackey just shut you down. Even if "Constantly Bad" Bucknor didn't make that call, they still would have had to score off of Lackey who out-aced Jon Lester. Lackey is making a play for a big free agent contract after a dominating performance, mixed with some revenge. Big Papi's 3rd strikeout of the game ended things in SoCal and, for one night, seemed to put an end to a hex, shifted the psychology, and made people believe that the Angels may be able to beat the Red Sox. Torii Hunter, a classic bad ball hitter, crushed a bad pitch by Lester (who was not great) and that was that. Now Josh Beckett has a lot of weight on his shoulders after being injured during last year's postseason as he tries to overcome the Angels, the Thunderstix and the Rally Monkey to salvage a split in Anaheim . If the Red Sox can get a game here, it may be tough for the Angels to win in Boston.

Today:

• 6 PM game: Twins @ Yankees - Blackburn vs. Burnett. I've written about the catching situation for AJ, but a few others have their opinion as well. Ian O'Connor considers this an "E-2" for Girardi. Jack Curry says that Posada is a spectator with AJ pitching. The Hartford Courant's Jeff Jacobs says that Posada needs to settle down and I agree with him; there's a fine line between being vocal about wanting to play and being a whiny cancer in the clubhouse by making this awkward for everyone involved. Sam Borden has Jose Molina's take and Joe Girardi's take on the situation. More in a little bit on this game before I head down to the Stadium
• Late game: Red Sox @ Angels - Josh Beckett vs. Jered Weaver. One totally legit criticism I heard about last night's game was that TBS couldn't get anything right as FanGraphs talks about: they went to commercial at the wrong times, they missed replays and graphics, and they just seemed a bit off, especially coming back from commercial late. Between that and Chip Caray's "verbal slump" as The New York Times calls it, TBS has had a worse playoff start than Matt Holliday and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Back later with more...

Quick Review of Yesterday's Games: ALDS Day 1

I'll try to do this every day (if I can) during the playoffs. Get you caught up on the games from the day before with lots of links to accompany it. Here we go on Day 1:

Yankees 7, Twins 2: As we said before, The Yankees won a vintage Yankees playoff game. They followed their blueprint for success, exactly the way they drew it up, and took apart a bad pitcher on a groggy and gassed team. Derek Jeter continued to lead the march and christened the New Yankee Stadium. CC was great and enjoyed the love. A-Rod looked horrible in his first two at-bats and instead of letting bad get worse, he got himself back on track and off the snide. Maybe it was Mr. October who finally helped A-Rod. The question is now can A-Rod build on his solid start (because, as we all know, he still has work to do)? Can the Yankees continue to pound the Twins? If A.J. Burnett is on tomorrow night, it may not matter and it may equal short trip to the playoffs for the Twinkies, especially with the American Idle himself, Carl Pavano, going in Game 3 for Minnesota.

Phillies 5, Rockies 1: When I picked the Phillies to just sneak by the Rockies, it was because I was worried about the Phillies having to go to their bullpen, knowing full-well that their starting pitching and hitting was superior. Well I can see Charlie Manuel's game plan now: Cliff Lee pitched a complete game (and savored the moment) and every player in Manuel's lineup got a hit, including Lee. That's one way not to use your bullpen. Lee's strategy was clear too: throw first-pitch strikes and pitch off the fastball. This was a good way to start a title defense and quiet the critics who wanted Cole Hamels to start Game 1 over Lee. The Phillies didn't lose at home last postseason and they're now 1-0 there. Some are suggesting that the Rockies change up their lineup, maybe benching Brad Hawpe. But this could be over fairly quickly if Hamels does his thing in Game 2.

Dodgers 5, Cardinals 3: Well that was a shocker, no? The Cardinals took a Cy Young candidate into a pitchers park and he didn't pitch very well at all. Matt Kemp's home run to center field was an absolute blast. It all worked out for the best for the Dodgers as the swagger is back, along with the big hits (though they did, amazingly, still strand 16 runners). In total, the teams set a division series record leaving 30 runners on base. For the Cardinals, the big hits were elusive (maybe that had to do with Albert Pujols being walked intentionally in his first two ABs). The winners escape the scrutiny when men are left on base, the losers do not.In the end, it was the longest game in division series history. The Dodgers relief stood out as well. The good news for the Cardinals? They get to throw out their other Cy Young candidate, Adam Wainwright, in Game 2.

Today:

• Early game: Colorado @ Philadelphia Game 2 (Cook vs. Hamels)
  
• 6 PM game: St. Louis @ Los Angeles NL Game 2 (Wainwright vs. Kershaw)
  
• Late game: Red Sox @ Los Angeles AL Game 1 (Lester vs. Lackey) - Baseball Musings has a preview
• Yankees and Twins have a workout day
  

ALDS Postseason Predictions

Time again for my expert MLB predictions:

Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees:

Is it better to be hot or to be a better team? Minnesota has now won 17 out of 21 to get into the playoffs and their similarities to the 2007 Rockies are eerily close. They have one of the best hitters in baseball, a rocking bandbox of a park that should provide them homefield advantage, and the dreaded "nobody believed in us factor". That being said, I can't see them pulling this one out. The Yankees dominate at almost every position and the starting pitching match-ups all favor the Yankees. The Twins are hot and confident right now so I can see them pulling out a game. But I see the Yankees continuing their dominance over the Twins from this regular season and the recent playoffs and so I'm taking the Yankees in 4.

Joe Girardi breaks down the Twins (via Tyler Kepner). Sam Borden says that the Yankees have chemistry in mass quantities...and a great graphic to go with it.


Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:

Despite my joking around about rule changes, the rules will stay in effect...and the Angels will run on the Red Sox. How do the Red Sox stop that? Don't allow baserunners. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett are strikeout pitchers who need to limit the guys they allow on base. If Boston can take one of the first two games of the series in Anaheim, the Angels may be in a bit of trouble. This has not been a kind match-up to the Angels in the past few years, and I do see this team as being different, but if they couldn't beat the Red Sox last year with Mark Teixeira and K-Rod, I don't think they'll have much more success with Kendry Morales and Brian Fuentes. Jonathan Papelbon walks the tightrope, but he gets out of it. Fuentes I don't have that much faith in...especially in Fenway. I've gone back-and-forth in this series, but I think, in the end, we'll see the Red Sox pull it out in 5.

Not surprisingly, 5 out of 6 Boston Globe sportswriters picked Boston, according to the LA Times. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer picks the Red Sox in 4. Ken Rosenthal thinks that the Angels will run all over the Red Sox and win in 5.

Colorado Rockies @ Philadelphia Phillies:

These two teams have good pitching staffs, but I predict a lot of runs in this series because they both play in huge offensive parks. These are the last two NL pennant winners so both have playoff experience. But I believe the Phillies winning it all last year will give them that added advantage here. The one problem for the Phillies has to be their closer as Brad Lidge has not been the same guy who was perfect all of last year. But Cliff Lee has the ability to go all the way and I think the Phillies do as well so I got the Phillies eeking by 3-2.

Ed Price from AOL FanHouse says that the weather could wreak havoc on this series (a la last year's World Series). A former Yankee could be part of the postseason roster for the Phils, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

St. Louis Cardinals @ Los Angeles Dodgers:

What is more important? Starting pitching or relief pitching? St. Louis has Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter going in games 1 and 2. Los Angeles has a deep bullpen in front of Jonathan Broxton. Both teams have big hitters in the middle of the lineup: MannyBeingManny vs. Sir Albert, Matt Kemp vs. Matt Holliday, etc. I've been back-and-forth on this series. I just think that, in the end, superior starting pitching wins playoff games. The Dodgers have been just going through the motions in the second half and I'm not sure they can flip the switch. I'm going to go against my original gut and pick the Cards in 5.

Sean Forman picks the Dodgers because he says the Cardinals played much worse competition the entire season and the Dodgers were legitimately a 95-win team and the best team in the NL by a wide margin. The New York Times has some more NL storylines.

Other "experts":

• Sam Borden has the Yankees in 3, the Phillies in 4, the Dodgers in 5 and the Angels in 5.
• LyfLines uses a "scientific" formula and has the Yankees (in a sweep), Red Sox, Rockies and Cardinals (H/T Rob Neyer)
• Jayson Stark picks the Yankees to go all the way
  

ESPN's World Series predictions:

• 15 have the Yankees winning the World Series, 4 have the Cardinals, and 3 have the Red Sox
• 18 have the Yankees winning the AL Pennant, 3 have the Red Sox and 1 has the Angels
• 11 have the Cards winning the NL Pennant, 5 have the Phillies, 5 have the Dodgers, and 1 has the Rockies
• Not one person predicted the Yankees to lose in the first round

What do you think? Post your predictions below!

A Few Sports Thoughts Before Bed

-Derek Jeter just turned 35. I feel old. I was in 5th grade when he made his major league debut. Happy birthday to the Captain. No active player has earned more rings or had more beautiful women than Jetes has had.

-Jorge Posada's wife is hot (another picture on the right)! Nice job, Jorgie! You really juiced that one!

-Our poll is now closed. 60% wanted Chien-Ming Wang in the starting rotation, 30% wanted him out and 10% said one more start. The only good news for him is that Citi Field is cavernous.

-Jeff Bennett = Kevin Brown.
-Geovany Soto = Michael Phelps

-I'm sorry I didn't mention the U.S. Soccer win over Spain earlier, but the truth is that I don't care that much about soccer. It's never really caught on in my life. I watched the World Cup once when my family first got High Definition television and saw the infamous headbutt. After that, I haven't cared much at all. But, regardless, this win was awesome. The New York Times declares it "Miracle On Grass".

-On the Knicks roster: Darko Milicic, Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas
-Not on the Knicks roster: Quentin Richardson, Stephen Curry and Ricky Rubio
-Not happy with the Knicks draftday: Knicks fans (I, personally, don't care. It's all about next summer)

-I knew Juan Pierre wasn't that good. From Fangraphs:

April 8 - May 28: 133 PA, .407/.470/.542 May 29 - June 24: 107 PA, .232/.276/.283

Joe Torre and the Dodgers should be glad Manny is coming back soon.

-Which MJ was greater in the '80s and '90s? Michael Jackson or Michael Jordan? And who had the weirder career move: Jordan to baseball or Jackson to Lisa-Marie?