Archive for Los Angeles Dodgers
The Brothers Melia: Exploring the Cactus League
Posted by: | CommentsA year ago this month, I met my three brothers – Tom, Tim and Pat – in Phoenix to catch our first glimpse of Cactus League Spring Training action. Four days and three nights of bouncing around various ballparks ensued as we ate, drank, watched and laughed our way into Spring Training heaven. It was a great time had by all, so we decided to partake in our second (now annual) outing just this weekend. Like last year’s excursion, my brothers all flew out from the east coast – Pat from JFK in New York; Tim and Tom from Washington National in D.C. – while I made the 375-mile trek from San Diego behind the wheel of my 2002 Jeep Liberty. The drive lasted six-and-a-half hours but the time went by relatively quickly as I couldn’t wait to start watching baseball, catching some Scottsdale rays and reminiscing with my bros.
WEARING OF THE GREEN: Since we're all Irish (Pat, Tom, Terry and Tim) and it was St. Patrick's Day, we decided to collectively go green at the Royals/Mariners game on March 17 at Surprise Stadium.
As I approached the Phoenix city limits, I got a call from Pat that they had taken a cab from the hotel in Tempe to scout out a new ballpark in Scottsdale called Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. It was a beautiful, 11,000-seat stadium and was the new spring training home of the Colorado Rockies. And since my brothers had all arrived earlier that day (they beat me by a good six hours), they figured they’d get a jump on the action and catch their first game of the long weekend between the Rockies and White Sox. The game was already in the sixth inning by the time Pat called, but since they figured I was getting close, they brought me up to speed. Not knowing exactly where Salt River Fields was, I got on the 101 Loop (per Pat’s recommendation) and set out to find it. It was just after 3 p.m. and my adrenalin was pumping.
I got up on the 101 Loop going north and figured I’d be there in no time; 15 minutes tops. Wow was I wrong. The 101 Loop wraps itself completely around the City of Phoenix in a perfect 360-degree circle and as I discovered in short order, I was at the 90-degree mark and I needed to be at 270. Or as Pat put it, “You want to be at three o’clock and you’re at nine o’clock. Just keep driving.” So I drove…and drove…and drove some more. I felt like a NASCAR driver. I was flooring it, but still had plenty of distance to go. I kept getting text messages from Tim during my extended detour: “Come on to Pima Rd. See you here. Top of the seventh” and then “Top of the ninth. Where are you?” I never yearned to find an exit ramp more in my life as I did to find “Pima Rd.” I had already driven 400 miles so nobody wanted to get out of their car more than me. Another 20 minutes went by before I finally pulled into the parking lot at Salt River Fields. The game was just ending – Chicago won, 12-6 – and five minutes later, Tom, Tim and Pat were filing out to give me big bear hugs and to thank me for showing up to be their designated driver.
Here’s where we had a choice to make. Do we head back to the hotel in rush-hour traffic or do we find a nice restaurant to hunker down in for an hour before we make our way to Surprise Stadium to watch the Kansas City Royals host the Seattle Mariners? We selected the latter option and 10 minutes later found ourselves walking into Mastro’s Steakhouse. We enjoyed a great meal over the next 70 minutes and then set out to find Surprise Stadium in, wouldn’t you know it, Surprise, Arizona. We were a little late to the game, but soon settled into our seats 15 rows behind home plate to watch the Royals pummel reigning Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez. “King Felix” was tagged for nine hits and six runs in just four innings’ worth of work and the Royals went on to score a 9-1 victory.
THE FAMILY GREB: Cindy and George Greb, season-ticket holders from Kansas City, were two of the nicest people we met this weekend who wear their loyalty, quite literally, on their sleeves.
During the course of the game, as Tim and I were discussing baseball, the NCAA tournament and life in general, I couldn’t help but notice that the gentleman sitting directly in front of us was wearing a Royals cap that read “2010 Season-Ticket Holder” across the back. I had two questions to ask: 1.) why did his allegiance rest with the snake-bitten Royals?; and 2.) why did he ever purchase season tickets? I had to know, so I tactfully asked.
It turns out his name was George Greb. He was a K.C. native, retired and in town for a week to catch as much Royals baseball as he could alongside his pretty wife, Cindy. The season tickets had been in the family for as long as he could remember and he took possession of them in 1995. He explained a little bit about the history of the Kansas City A’s who moved to Oakland before the Kansas City Royals were born in 1969 and how he’s been a lifer ever since. We talked about three-time American League battling champ George Brett and the team’s only World Series title in 1985. Greb was a wealth of information about the Royals and their history and I was duly impressed. We had met a fellow student of the game. And his wife was a genuine fan of the game; she really enjoyed going to spring training.
Following our jaunt back to the hotel, Friday rolled around in no time and we were off to Tempe Diablo Stadium, the home of the Angels, where the team that’s still trying to figure out if it’s from Los Angeles or Anaheim was hosting the San Diego Padres. It was a perfect 84-degree day and we were catching the action from the stands above third base. We met plenty of people – everybody’s in a good mood at spring training – but mostly enjoyed each others’ company and shared beers and hot dogs throughout the seesaw battle. The game ended with the Angels prevailing, 7-6; a pair of solo home runs by Halos slugger Bobby Abreu proved to be the difference. But as it turns out, this wouldn’t be the tightest game we’d see.
SUN DEVILS: We soaked up additional suds and sun on Friday afternoon watching the Angels outlast the Padres, 7-6, at fiery Tempe Diablo Stadium.
On Saturday, we traveled to a park that none of us had visited before: Camelback Ranch in Glendale, a sprawling, beautifully designed 13,000-seat gem that served as the Cactus League home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, depending on the schedule. This day we watched the Dodgers, and their new manager, Don Mattingly, host the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, before the Brew Crew came back to take leads of 4-1 in the sixth and 6-2 in the seventh. All of which set the stage for a crowd-pleasing, three-run rally by the boys from Chavez Ravine in the bottom of the eighth and a solo run scored by Aaron Miles (off a single by Juan Castro) in the bottom of the ninth to knot the score at six. Two batters later, Eugenio Velez hit a single to center, but Castro, who was standing on second, was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Chris Dickerson for the third out.
FIELD GENERAL: Former L.A. Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda was on hand signing for the fans, even the young ones who probably had no earthly idea who the old man with the white hair was.
The teams played one extra inning before the managers decided to call it a draw as there was no need to further risk injury in what would amount to a meaningless game in the preseason schedule. It brought me back to the 2002 MLB All-Star Game when the AL and NL squads battled to a 7-7 tie through 11 innings.
The day, as it turned out, had plenty of ups for us. We got to see former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda signing autographs for the fans; Pat caught a game-used ball tossed to him by the Dodgers batboy, which he immediately handed to Tom for the latter’s eight-year-old son, Tomás; and Tim and I took turns trying to take great shots of the action, both on and off the field.
CAMELBACK RANCH: We gave the newly opened venue four big thumbs up on Saturday. Tasty Dodger Dogs, great eye candy throughout and solid baseball spelled big fun.
As Saturday rolled to a close, and we were finishing up a nice Italian dinner, I asked each of my brothers for their individual assessments of what was their favorite part of the weekend. Pat went first: “I didn’t know what to expect coming back. I mean, we all had such a great time last year, so I didn’t have any thoughts of surpassing last year’s trip. But the new ballparks we saw this time around were even better, so this year’s trip over-exceeded my expectations.”
Tom was next: “My favorite part of the trip was walking through the nice new Camelback Ranch complex with my brothers, watching batting practice and the mellow crowd gathering. I enjoyed seeing the people from all over the country and all over the world coming together for a nice afternoon under the blue sky. And I was thinking how nice it will be to come back with Tomás one of these days.”
Then Tim added: “I loved the reminiscing, the story-telling and the laughter.”
Even batting cleanup, I couldn’t have summed it up better myself.
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Remembering an American Hero
Posted by: | CommentsI grew up collecting trading cards because my father and brothers collected trading cards. I liked players like Bob Horner because I read on the back of his card he hit four home runs in a single game and George Foster because he had really cool sideburns. My brothers all had their favorites as well and the names would change based on a variety of nonsensical factors that makes being a kid so great. I can still remember asking my Dad who his favorite player was and the reason why I remember it so well is because I always got the same answer: Jackie Robinson.
He would tell me the stories about Jackie and what he overcame, but I was so young I really did not realize the gravity of it all. To a kid, the idea that you weren’t allowed to play baseball because of the color or your skin just seems silly, which it really is. Robinson’s contributions to the sport of baseball and society as a whole became more amazing to me as I grew older learning about prejudice, bigotry, civil rights and black history. There are so many life lessons you can learn by reading about Jackie, and one of the biggest I think is to never give up.
We’ve had our share of challenges at Upper Deck as of late, but like Jackie, we will stay the course and never give up. As I sat at my desk writing this entry I caught myself looking up several times at a memorabilia item I have hanging on my wall that I just love. It’s inspiring, but also really cool. It’s a piece Upper Deck Authenticated did back in the day that features the emblazoned nameplate from actual game-used bats. It’s very inspiring to be greeted by this Jackie Robinson keepsake each day as I open the door to my office.
Today as we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day I encourage you to take a moment to pause and just think about his impact on the world. It’s amazing to think about how different things would be today if he didn’t come along when he did or if someone else would have been the first player to break the color barrier. Would Tiger Woods be allowed to play at the Masters? Would Barack Obama have been elected President of the United States? What else would be different? These are questions we probably don’t want to know the answers to.
One of the things I think that made Jackie so great was just the fact that he was such a wonderful role model. He had the type of talent that made you want to watch every game he played. He was sharp and had great messages to share. So if you don’t want to go out and learn more about Jackie, just take a moment now to read some of the words spoken by the man, one of the most influential sports figures in history.
“A life if not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
“I’m not concerned with you liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.”
“There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.”
“The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.”
Those really are the types of statements you would expect from a leader, an American hero. It’s hard to imagine a player today of any race making statements like these, but maybe that’s what made him so special. And maybe that’s why I find inspiration every time I look on my wall to see Jackie poised to make this world a better place. Thank you Jackie!
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Pitchers and Catchers Report: National League
Posted by: | CommentsIf you missed last week’s American League preview, click here to catch up.
Ever since the Yankees and Red Sox engaged in an arms race of epic proportions to dominate their league, the National League has received a bit less love and mainstream attention. But unlike its counterpart, the National League has fostered a bit more parity over the years, and features far more teams with a chance to contend. This is not to say that the league doesn’t have some serious big market teams, with the Mets, Cubs and Phillies sporting payrolls near the $140 million mark lately. But when you look at the first two on that list, it’s clear that the investment doesn’t necessarily result in a trip to the playoffs.
Because this division has a lot more contenders and possibilities, we’ll go by division.
National League West
This is not the National League West you used to look down on. It seems like only yesterday when our local San Diego Padres made the playoffs with a mere 82-80 record in 2005, but those days are long gone. In 2010, this will be the most competitive division in the league, bar none. To be more specific, the Padres are the only team that doesn’t have a realistic shot at winning it (and they’re at least rebuilding properly).
The Dodgers haven’t added much over the winter thanks to the financial issues caused by the ownership couple getting divorced. However, they still have one of the best young cores in the game featuring Kemp, Ethier, Broxton, Billingsley and Kershaw. They’re down Randy Wolf and would probably like a bit more help in the rotation; they still have a solid chance to win the division again, but it won’t be as easy as 2009.
If I had to name a favorite at this moment to win the division, it would have to be the Rockies. We saw the run they went on last year, reminiscent of their legendary late season tear en route to the 2007 World Series. I have to say, even without Matt Holliday, this 2010 Rockies team is better than three years ago. In fact, it was Holliday who netted the Rockies Huston Street and Carlos Gonzales in a trade, setting them up with a reliable closer and a very talented young outfielder for years to come (at age 23, he already started to live up to his prospect hype). The rest of the diamond is filled with some of the top young talent in the game: Dexter Fowler gives the team a legit speedster, Ian Stewart is another player who looks to finally be living up to his potential, Seth Smith has great OBP and power, while veterans Hawpe and Helton round it out. And of course, the Rockies have the immensely talented Troy Tulowitzki, who may be the most underrated player in the game today.
Unlike past Rockies teams that were all bats and no arms, this incarnation has a formidable rotation. Ubaldo Jimenez has emerged as an ace who produces serious strikeouts, and #2 starter Jorge de la Rosa does the same. Jason Hammel provided solid innings you’d want to see from a #3 style starter, while Aaron Cook also provides steady innings to go along with his experience. Jeff Francis had been the ace of this team in their 2007 World Series run, and is coming back from injury. The minor league roster is stocked with arms too, featuring Greg Smith, who was the third player to come over from Oakland in the Holliday trade.
Where pitching is concerned, it’s of course hard to beat the Giants and their 1-2 combination of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Jonathan Sanchez harnessed a bit more control in 2009 to go along with his strikeout talent, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can build on last season’s accomplishments (highlighted by a no-hitter). If Giants fans have been spoiled by their nucleus of talented young pitching, things are about to get even more ridiculous once top prospect Madison Bumgarner joins the mix. If Bumgarner lives up to the hype, Lincecum and Cain continue to put up great seasons and Sanchez can put it all together, we may be looking at one of the best top-to-bottom rotations in recent memory (one where veteran Barry Zito is a #4-5 starter).
Of course, the issue for the Giants remains offense. They did add Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa this winter, but are still lacking some serious bats to build up what has been an anemic offense at best. Top prospect Buster Posey is waiting in the wings, but I have a feeling Giants fans will look at the line scores and lament missing out on free agents like Holliday and Bay by the time the summer rolls around.
Rounding out the division is another team with serious frontline pitching talent in the Arizona Diamondbacks. If Brandon Webb can come back from last year’s injury and regain some of his Cy Young form, he’ll combine with Dan Haren to give the team the 1-2 punch it envisioned when it traded for the latter a few seasons ago. Edwin Jackson comes over from Detroit (at the expense of the departed Max Scherzer) to give the team a legit #3. Offense has also been an issue for the Diamondbacks in recent years, but things are looking up for 2010: Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds have emerged as premium talent, while additions in Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson should provide the team with more ways to get runs on the board.
While Reynolds and Upton have come into their own as major league players, the jury is still out on Stephen Drew and Chris Young. The former has at least shown the ability to hit and field well at times, but Young provides negative value in the field, and has yet to learn how to take a walk at the plate. For this team to really take a step forward and provide offense to supplement the rotation, these two guys are going to need to put it all together. Based on past performance, I think Drew will get there, but I’m not convinced at all by Young. He’s clearly a great athlete, but I’m not sure he’s a great baseball player.
National League Central
As has been the case for the last few years, this division will be all about the Cardinals, Cubs and Brewers. After locking up Holliday, and knowing Chris Carpenter is back and healthy to form a strong tandem with Wainwright, St. Louis is looking strong. Top prospect Colby Rasmus showed some value with his glove immediately, and scouts expect his bat will follow. The main issue with the Cardinals though is the same one that hurt them down the stretch, and made their playoff run short lived: a lack of depth on offense beyond their superstars. Pujols and Holliday are always intimidating, but the supporting cast doesn’t have a ton of depth. The question for 2010 then, is whether or not the likes of Ludwick, Schumaker and Lugo can provide adequate support to get the job done again.
The core for the Cubs is getting older, and time is running out on this team before the veterans start to age and under-perform while being overpaid. Specifically, Soriano is locked up through 2014, Zmbarano through 2012, and Aramis Ramirez is on the team for another two seasons. These are all players who can still contribute, but one has to wonder how much longer they can do so at a high level; the team is also stuck with Carlos Silva for the next two years, the price that was paid to get the unpopular Milton Bradley out of town.
Their only major moves this winter involved upgrading the outfield with the likes of Marlon Byrd and Xavier Nady; not exactly marquee names, but solid players who you can more or less count on (assuming Nady returns to form following last year’s injury). The rotation has veteran depth, but also features players who have had their share of injuries, and ups and downs. If Lilly can come back from injuries and Dempster can put together another reliable 200 IP season while Zambrano, Soriano and Ramirez stay on the field, the Cubs will take the division back and make one more run at that World Series championship Chicago so desperately wants.
The third contender in this division is the Brewers. Unlike past seasons where the offense wasn’t a question, but defense and pitching were, this is the most well-rounded Milwaukee team we’ve seen in a while. Taking advantage of a slower free agent market than in years past, the Brewers brought Doug Davis back to Milwaukee, while signing the underrated Randy Wolf to round out the rotation. Last year’s rotation was more or less “Gallardo + a bunch of guys putting up 5.00-6.00 ERAs”. It was pretty ugly, and while I don’t expect Wolf and Davis to be All-Stars, they’ll give the Brewers quality innings and a chance to win when they take the ball.
Helping matters will be Alcides Escobar at shortstop, and Carlos Gomez in center (who was obtained for J.J. Hardy to make room for the former). These two players don’t hit much, but bring some great defensive skills to the field in the two positions you want them most. Whereas Brewer teams a few years ago had some serious issues defensively, this year’s incarnation is taking a step in the right direction, while still getting power contributions from Braun and Fielder.
National League East
As a Mets fan I hate to say it, but the Phillies are clearly the top team in the NL. This time around, they’ll have a true ace in Roy Halladay for the entire season, and I expect Cole Hamels to bounce back to what we saw from him in 2008 (he threw a ton of innings that year for a guy his age, and was due for some regression in 2009 as a result). The only major change to the lineup is Placido Polanco returning to Philly to man third base, giving the team a good contact hitter to supplement an offense that gets on base and hits for lots of power, but is prone to strikeouts. Aside from catcher, this team has a premium offensive player at each position; to give you an idea, Chase Utley is the best of them all, and should contend for his first MVP title this season. Teammates Howard and Rollins already have their own from past years.
Philly’s only weakness is their bullpen, and the closer situation. Brad Lidge was remarkably perfect in 2008, but followed that with a horrible 2009 campaign. The team is hoping he can bounce back, but the rest of the bullpen isn’t looking terribly strong either. It remains to be seen if the Phils will be able to consistently win close games.
The Braves have rebuilt with pitching strong #1-5, and have young ace Tommy Hanson front and center. The 22 year old posted a 2.89 ERA last season, and there’s plenty of reasons to think he’ll be a dominant starter for years to come. Follow that with Hudson, Lowe, Kawakami, and you’ve got guys who will take the ball and give you a chance to win each day (and often enough, will put the team on their shoulders). Jair Jurrjens is the key at the moment; he’s fighting through some injury issues, but outlook is positive.
As has been standard for the Braves since Teixeira left, the lineup is where the weakness lies. There isn’t much to be intimidated by when it comes to their bats, making phenom prospect Jason Heyward’s transition to the majors even more critical.
Unlike the past few years when the Mets entered the spring considered favorites (Sports Illustrated famously picked them to win the World Series this time last year), the 2009 disaster has brought down expectations considerably. The team did sign Jason Bay to add a power bat, but they failed to sign a reliable starter to back up Johan Santana. The result is that Maine, Perez and Pelfrey will need to all perform up to career bests for the Mets to contend. Of course, last year’s injured squadron of position players like Beltran and Reyes will need to bounce back to form as well.
Don’t count out the Marlins either. The low payroll wonder-franchise is set to contend again, featuring the game’s best young player in Hanley Ramirez. The rotation, bullpen and lineup are stacked with young, hungry players who have grown up in the big leagues together, and this time around it looks like the top talent will stay in Florida: Ramirez and staff ace Josh Johnson have multi-year extensions in hand.
Finally, I expect the Nationals to surprise a lot of fans this year. While I don’t have any expectations that they’ll be contenders, they’re much improved from past incarnations, and have a plan in place. They have a solid core lineup, and their pitching is vastly improved. They’ve also taken some low risk chances on guys like Chien-Ming Wang, Matt Capps and Brian Bruney, who could be significant arms for the team. I don’t think this is quite their year (that’ll happen once Strasburg and Storen are big league ready), but 2010 is when they finally take a strong step forward.
It’s going to be another great season, and I can’t wait for Opening Day. On a side note, I think it’s about time they just make it a national holiday. Most years it’s on a weekday anyway, and every stadium is still sold out. That tells me enough people are skipping out on work that we might as well add it to the national calendar; I know I’ve taken a vacation day to fully celebrate and enjoy past Opening Days, and plan to do the same this year too.
Here’s to the spring, and the promise and optimism it brings to every baseball fan.
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MLB Playoffs: Living on the Edge
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing nail-biting finishes on Monday to Games 3 and 4 in the ALCS and NLCS, respectively, all I have to say is: “That’s why they play the games.” No one could have predicted the outcomes of these battles – from the Angels’ improbable game-winning double delivered by backup catcher Jeff Mathis in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Yankees, to Jimmy Rollins clutch, two-out blast to the gap in right-center in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz with the tying and winning runs for the Phillies.
The MLB playoffs are made for this kind of theater and, thankfully, the teams and their players are delivering on all counts. Following a pair of lopsided sweeps in divisional play – both the Cardinals and my beloved Red Sox were ousted in three straight games by the Dodgers and Angels, respectively – the MLB playoffs are heating up in cold October.
Last night’s pair of thrillers raised many questions. Should Yankees closer Mariano Rivera have stayed in for more than three outs and 17 pitches beyond the 10th inning? Absolutely, but hindsight is always 20-20. New York Manager Joe Girardi certainly thought Alfredo Aceves would hold the Halos scoreless for one inning. But it just didn’t happen.
And over in the Dodgers/Phillies contest, L.A. Manager Joe Torre must be scratching his head big-time wondering what he has to do to beat the damn Phillies. His team has now dropped seven of eight games to Philadelphia in the postseason, which includes getting swept in last year’s best-of-seven NLCS. And last night – with a 4-3 lead and his rock-solid closer, Jonathan Broxton, on the mound – he had to like his chances But no-o-o-o-o-o! It just wasn’t meant to be.
Personally, I didn’t see the defending World Series champs returning to the Fall Classic this year, but I suspect that’s how things will pan out over the next two games of the NLCS. Then again, I didn’t expect the Red Sox to get swept into an early round of golf by the Angels either. But that happened quicker than you can say “Big Poopi,” which is exactly what David Ortiz’s role as Boston’s DH (1-for 12 with four K’s) turned out to be.
Let’s just see how the Angels fare tonight against Yankees’ ace CC Sabathia, who’s working on just three days rest. Maybe the Halos will get to him early. Maybe he’ll start mowing ‘em down just like he did in Game 1. You just never know. The same goes for the Dodgers tomorrow night against the Phils. Down three-games-to-one with zero room for error, the boys in blue need a miracle. Hey, is Kirk Gibson still available to pinch-hit?
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Fearless 2009 MLB Playoff Predictions
Posted by: | CommentsLiving in San Diego, we get used to spectacular weather. So it sounds a bit odd to say this, but I probably enjoy the fall out here more than any season. The warmth dies down just a bit, and I can wear my hoodie and/or leather jacket around for a few months. It’s just cool enough to make things cozy, but never cold enough that you’re freezing. So I trade in my shorts for jeans, drive around with the top down a bit less, and most importantly, enjoy postseason baseball.
Following yesterday’s Game 163 between the Tigers and Twins, it’s hard not to get excited. If you weren’t tuned in you missed an absolute classic, a game that showcased baseball at its best: everything on the line, a passionate and loud stadium, and a back-and-forth battle that went extra innings. Hopefully the rest of the fall can live up to that one game: given the outlook, I think we’re in for some great baseball over the next few weeks.
Here’s a overview of what we have lined up, and of course, my predictions.
NLDS: Rockies vs. Phillies
The Rockies started the season looking like not much of a threat at all, especially when you consider how the Dodgers came screaming out the gate. So go figure, you trade in Clint Hurdle for Jim Tracy, and suddenly it’s 2007 all over again: not quite the same ridiculous run, but enough of a sharp turnaround to warrant attention.
Comparing this year’s version to the 2007 National League pennant winners, I’d say they’ve made some major upgrades where position players are concerned. Chris Ianetta brings some slugging to the table (and a decent OBP for his position), Carlos Gonzalez is realizing his potential, and Dexter Fowler brings an added dynamic of speed to the team. You really have to give the Rockies credit: they scout and develop players exceptionally well. Troy Tulowitzki in particular may be the most underrated player in the game today, as he plays spectacular defense at shortstop, takes walks, and hits for plenty of power.
The Phillies are improved from last year’s World Championship version, with the exception of the bullpen. Their lineup offers very little breathing room, and is the only offense out of the four National League teams that can really match up with the American League juggernauts where slugging is concerned. But most importantly, the deadline acquisition of Cliff Lee gives the team a bonafide ace to put in front of Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.
This series will really come down to two elements: the Rockies rotation, and the Phillies bullpen. Ubaldo Jimenez continues to evolve into a front line starter, and has the strikeout rate you want to see from a Game 1 playoff pitcher. Jorge De La Rosa would be the other strikeout specialist on the Rockies, but he’s out for the series with a groin injury. This is a huge blow to the Rockies’ chances, as they’ll probably need to slot Jason Marquis and Jason Hammel for games two and three.
Compared to Hamels, Happ and Blanton, you absolutely have to give the edge to the Phillies. Marquis and Hammel do not strike out a lot of batters, and their WHIPs are well in the 1.37 range. The Phillies will take their walks and hit the ball, which means that often enough, it’s heading out of the park to put some numbers on the board.
Yes, Brad Lidge has had his issues this year, but the rest of the Phillies bullpen is capable of picking up the slack. The Phillies are actually in the enviable position of having too many starters, so the bullpen will have plenty of guys who can throw multiple innings. Specifically, it looks like J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez will come on in relief for this five game series. Ryan Madson may not have the closer reputation necessarily, but he’s capable of shutting the door, at least for this series.
Prediction: Phillies in four.
NLDS: Cardinals vs. Dodgers
If not for some risky moves by the Cardinals front office to shore up the offense, this series would look much different. Luckily for St. Louis fans, Holliday is now backing up Pujols, providing some much needed protection. On paper, the lineup for the red birds should be solid, but recent production tells a different story. Julio Lugo hit .242 in September, and in the last twenty games Ludwick has hit .229, DeRosa .189, and Holliday only has one home run.
Compare to the Dodgers bats, and I think you need to give Los Angeles the edge. Yes, they don’t have Albert Pujols (no one else does, to be fair), but they scored 50 more runs this season. Pujols and Holliday are both better hitters than anyone the Dodgers have (save Manny, if he gets going), but the Dodgers have a more capable 1-through-8 batting order.
Of course, the key to this series isn’t the bats, but the Cardinals’ monster 1-2 punch of Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. They represent two of the National League’s best pitchers, and both already have a championship ring from 2006: so don’t expect either to be intimidated. In a short series, while I do think the Dodgers offense is better, it’s just going to be too difficult to put up three victories against this rotation.
Given the daunting task ahead of them, the Dodgers’ chance for success rests on Clayton Kershaw’s shoulders. The 21 year old has the strikeout talent to dominate in the postseason, but he’s had some poor starts as the regular season came to a close. He’s thrown 60+ innings more than last year, so you’re left to wonder how much he’ll have left in the tank at his age.
But if the endurance is there, he could potentially outduel Wainwright in Game 2, giving the Dodgers a chance to go after groundball specialist Joel Pinero in Game 3. And who knows, maybe the Cardinals bats will be stagnant for Game 1 against Randy Wolf. I still have to give the edge to the Cardinals, but Dodgers fans have some hope here.
Prediction: Cardinals in four.
ALDS: Yankees vs. Twins
Last night’s game was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and was a prime example of why baseball is such a great sport.
That being said, count me in with the rest of North America when I say there’s no way the Twins can beat the Yankees after that. They’re exhausted after playing 12 innings, and will get very little sleep before heading to the Bronx. The new Yankee Stadium is a friendly place for home run hitters, which is bad news for a team like the Twins with very little power. Even if the stadium plays short, I don’t expect the likes of Matt Tolbert, Nick Punto, Brendan Harris or Denard Span to be able to take advantage of this environment. If the Twins had Justin Morneau in the lineup I’d give them a chance, but they’ll be forced to play a different brand of baseball in New York, one they can’t compete at.
The Yankees however, will eat up the Twins starting rotation, hit plenty of home runs, and their bullpen will protect the leads. It’s been a great, inspiring run by Minnesota, but they are clearly overmatched here.
Prediction: Yankees in three.
ALDS: Angels vs. Red Sox
This series is becoming a rivalry of its own, with the Sox seemingly always getting the best of the Angels. Both teams have changed a bit in terms of strengths and weaknesses over the last few years, but the Sox have retained their dominant pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen. As has become standard under the Theo regime, this will be what Red Sox Nation hangs its hopes on.
And to be fair, when you’re gunning for your third World Series championship of the decade, there are worse places to put your bets than on the arms of Lester, Beckett, Buccholz, Dice-K and Papelbon. The talent is still there but health is a bit of a question mark, with Beckett and Dice-K struggling through their share this year. But then again, both have earned a reputation as “big game” pitchers, and most fans expect they’ll ramp it up now that October is here.
The weakness of the Red Sox in this series has been highly publicized: the running game. Mike Scioscia loves to push aggression on the basepaths, and with Varitek and V-Mart tasked with throwing them out, the green light will be on like never before. Look for Figgins, Abreu and Hunter to steal early and often, while middle infielders Kendrick and Aybar will swipe their share as needed. But unlike Angels lineups of years past, this one has more than one dimension, and can hit home runs and take walks to go with the speed.
Lackey, Weaver and Kazmir are lined up to pitch for the Angels. Aside from Lackey’s age 23 run with the 2002 World Championship team, none of these Angels have the intimidating championship pedigree Lester and Beckett bring to the table. The Angels rotation actually comes into this series healthier and with less question marks, while the Sox come in with the potential for their guys to dominate. But, there’s also more potential for the Sox rotation to put up a bad start, especially with Beckett’s back issues. His Game 2 start will really be the key in this series. I expect all three Angels pitchers will give their team a chance to win, while there’s a lot more variance with what can happen to the Sox rotation, between good and bad extremes.
The big difference in this series will likely turn out to be the bullpen. This is not the lockdown Angels bullpen you’ve grown to fear, with leads confidently handed off to capable middle relievers, before the ball gets to Scot Shields and K-Rod. Brian Fuentes has 48 saves on the year, but also has a 1.40 WHIP. These late innings will be crucial, and if I’m an Angels fan, I’m biting my nails until that last out. In contrast, the Sox bullpen continues to be a major strength, and should be able to put away the game if given a lead.
It’ll be a very entertaining series, especially with the new dynamic of the Angels offense. Game 2 is going to be absolutely crucial, as a victory against Beckett will be needed to at least keep the series even headed back to Boston. If that happens, the Halos have a chance. But a strong bullpen is so important if you want to win a championship, and the difference between the teams is huge in that regard.
Prediction: Red Sox in four.
NLCS: Phillies vs. Cardinals
Once we expand to a seven game series, the 1-2 punch at the top of the Cardinals rotation becomes less dominant, as St. Louis will need to rely on their other starters. You still need to give the Cardinals the edge where the front of the rotation is concerned, but really, with Cliff Lee in the mix, it’s not a huge gap between the two teams. Speaking to the offense, again, Pujols and Holliday are great, but the rest leaves something to be desired. The Phillies leave very little room to breathe, and Cardinals pitchers will have their hands full.
The Cardinals need to win every game that Carpenter and Wainwright pitch. If the Phillies can win at least one of those, they’ll be headed to the World Series with a chance to repeat. Given a 1-in-4 chance, I like those odds.
Prediction: Phillies in seven.
ALCS: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Here we go again! Honestly, all I care about this postseason is seeing this rivalry once more to close out the decade: this time around, it’ll be spectacular. Yes, the drama of The Curse is gone, but that evens the playing field a bit, and actually puts a bit more pressure on the Yankees. After all the spending in the winter and the dominance in the regular season, it’s up to them to get the job done and even out the decade a bit following 2004 and 2007. It won’t be about curses or grandpappy seeing the Sox win it all just once, but rather, which team is better at baseball. Period. The level of talent on the field and the battle that’ll take place between both teams is all the drama I’ll need, personally.
I know, I’m sounding like an ESPN or FOX executive, or some of the mainstream press who seem to think baseball doesn’t exist outside New York and Boston. But I just love how these teams line up in 2009. The Sox probably have a better rotation, but who knows what Beckett will bring to the table? Will the back spasms do him in, or does he continue to be a Yankee killer? Can Dice-K return to form, or can Buccholz handle the pressure of the big stage? And it’s not like Sabathia, Burnett or even Pettitte are a sure thing on any given night. I honestly think it’s safe to say that in a 2009 Sox vs. Yankees ALCS, the rotations are structured in a way where any team can win on any given night: there’s no one dominant performer (say, Pedro of years gone by, or Schilling at his peak), and most of these starters are equally likely to craft a gem, or succumb to the opposing team’s offense.
Where bats are concerned, the Yankees obviously have the edge. With Teixeira at first, Abreu’s terrible range out of right field, Cano’s continued improvements and even Jeter doing much better with the glove, the Yankees are well equipped to play both sides of the field for a change. Both teams have good bullpens this year, but you still have to give the edge there to the Red Sox.
It’ll be an entertaining series if it happens, one that’ll slow down work productivity in the Northeast for a week or two. In the end, I think the Yankees offense is too much to handle, and for once, their pitching can hold up their end of things. Sure, Sabathia, Burnett, Joba and Pettitte are all capable of having a terrible start, but I don’t expect it’ll happen to all of them. And even in case of disaster, the Yankees are capable of digging themselves out of an early hole with their power, especially at home.
Prediction: Yankees in six.
World Series: Phillies vs. Yankees
Most Mets fans (myself included) will likely cheer for the Yankees in this scenario, and that’s saying something.
More seriously, both teams mirror each other a bit. They both have incredibly strong lineups, play in bandboxes, and have rotations that are strong, but can still be knocked around on a bad night. The Phillies would probably have the best starter in the series in Cliff Lee, who also has plenty of experience pitching against American League teams. For the Phillies to have a chance, they’d need to win both of Lee’s starts.
Rotations and defense are fairly comparable, but the Yankees have a better offense and a better bullpen. The Phillies are used to being able to bring the thunder and outslug their opponents when all else fails, but that’s a game the Yankees would be happy to play. Given the nature of both stadiums, you’d expect lots of home runs and big scoring games.
In the end, the Yankees are just too good. They could probably benefit from a bit more reliability in the rotation, but that’s really nitpicking considering their other strengths. If it comes down to Yankees and Phillies, the American League team will overmatch their National League counterpart, and beat them in a slugfest.
Prediction: Yankees in six.
What are your predictions? Comment here, or post yours to our Facebook page! I’m eager to hear your thoughts, as this is just one man’s opinion.
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