Results tagged ‘ Playoffs ’
Well, I Got It
I was complaining the other day about how my Phillies can never have an easy win, it has to be a challenge.
Well, that easy win was wrapped up and sent my way yesterday.
The offense was one thing to behold, but Cliff Lee was absolutely incredible. I love watching that man pitch, especially when his control is like that.
Today, Joe Blanton will take the mound, and i’ve been calling for him to start for a while, so hopefully he doesn’t let me down.
He’ll be taking on former Phillie Randy Wolf, I will not be angry if some Phillies fans bring back the Wolf Pack, that is totally fine with me.
On the other side of things, Jered Weaver takes on Andy Pettitte. I would like to see a good game from Weaver, and he needs it if the Angels want to stay alive.
The 2009 Playoffs – Day 2 of the LCS
These games are just to close. The last three games for the Phillies have been too much to handle. Never can I just sit there and assume the game is won, I would like to do that soon. When Raul hit the 3 run shot yesterday, I figured I could chill out, but no, that wasn’t the case. Ryan Madson had to come in and make my heart race. Then good ol’ Lidge gives up a leadoff hit, thankfully the Phillies converted the double play this time around. It wasn’t over though, he gets ahead 0-2 on the next batter, and walks him. The pop fly ended the game and the Phillies go up 1-0 in the series.
I have risen to an unhealthy level of pessimism.
I’ve never been an optimist, but nowadays I assume every little thing will lead to an offensive explosion for the opposition. I just want an easy win.
Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 2 (1-0 Philadelphia)
4:07 ET: Pedro Martinez v. Vincente Padilla
Pedro Martinez’ Record: 5-1, 3.63 ERA
Postseason Record: 6-2, 3.40 ERA (11 starts, 2 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: N/A
Vincente Padilla’s Record: 12-6, 4.46 ERA (4-0, 3.20 ERA w/Los Angeles)
Postseason Record: 1-0, 0.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 1-0, 0.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees – Game 1
7:57 ET: John Lackey v. CC Sabathia
John Lackey’s Record: 11-8, 3.83 ERA
Postseason Record: 3-3, 3.02 ERA (10 starts, 2 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 1-0, 0.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
CC Sabathia’s Record: 19-8, 3.37 ERA
Postseason Record: 3-3, 6.54 ERA (6 starts, 0 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 1-0, 1.35 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
After winning Game 1, one would think the Phillies would like to go for the throat in Game 2, but they aren’t doing that. Out of all the pitchers that could go in Game 2 (Blanton, or Lee on short rest), they go for the Wild Card. Every time Martinez has taken the hill, the Phillies have had no idea what to expect. I know the results have been good, for the most part, but this isn’t the guy who should be starting a playoff game. I want Joe Blanton. If Martinez struggles at all, Blanton should be in the game.
John Lackey has quite the playoff resume, I forgot how many times the Angels have been in the postseason since Lackey arrived on the scene in 2002. I would look for Lackey to throw a very good game against the Yankees today, but it might not be enough.
It might not be enough because of CC Sabathia. Sabathia has been bad in the playoffs, but I wouldn’t look to far into that. Sabathia was very good against the Twins and I think he can do the same against the Angels. Maybe this was the year that both he and Alex Rodriguez rid themselves of the postseason funk.
Let’s bring back the Padilla Flotilla (Phillies fans know what I mean). Vincente was a member of the Phillies seemingly forever ago and i’m sure he wouldn’t mind exacting some revenge on his former club. He pitched a great game against the Cardinals in his first ever playoff appearance and has pitched well with the Dodgers. This won’t be an easy task for Philadelphia.
The 2009 Playoffs – Day 1 of the LCS
Even though I am 100% offended with the Phillies starting Pedro Martinez in Game 2, instead of a much better righty Joe Blanton, I will continue to type onwards and support my team through the playoffs, which might be a lot shorter now that Pedro is taking the mound.
Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 1
8:07 ET: Cole Hamels v. Clayton Kershaw
Cole Hamels’ Record: 10-11, 4.32 ERA
Postseason Record: 4-2, 2.70 ERA (7 starts, 0 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 0-1, 7.20 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Clayton Kershaw’s Record: 8-8, 2.79 ERA
Postseason Record: 0-0, 3.12 ERA (1 start, 2 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 0-0, 2.70 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Cole Hamels has had a horrible season, there is no way around it. He’s had injuries, bad luck, and just some bad pitching. However, Cole has pitched very well against the Dodgers everytime he’s faced them, maybe that can change his luck. Also, maybe the birth of his first son, Caleb, will vault him to complete dominance over all hitters. Who knows anymore, all us Phillies fans have is that Cole Hamels was great last season in the playoffs and usually he brings his A game against Los Angeles. If he can do this today, then the Phillies will jump out to a lead in a crucial series. If he doesn’t, then kiss tomorrow goodbye as well, for Pedro won’t produce.
Clayton Kershaw is kind of interesting, to me at least. He pitched in 31 games this season, and has a phenominal ERA of 2.79, but he only has 8 wins. How did that happen? Well, out of those 31 games, only seven of them saw him pitching 7 or more innings. If you leave games after the 6th inning too often, you might not win that many games. Now i’m not sure if the Dodgers were holding him back a little or if it was because his pitch count was too high. It might be the pitch count though, 10 times this year he walked 4 or more batters and he never even had a game where he didn’t walk somebody. He also likes the strikeout, which could be perfect for this time of year. In the playoffs, you can just let loose, and I think he might, and if he does, he can dominate the strikeout-prone Phillies hitters.
Who’s Ready for the League Championship Series?
I don’t think I am. I’m still recovering from that absolutely heart-stopping performance by the Phillies in Game 4. I must confess, I actually turned that game off when that two run double was hit to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead. That’s not easy for me to say, I was just so aggravated, beyond all belief. If only you all could have seen the before and after pictures of my basement. Things were thrown, out of place, and kicked. Then, by some miracle, a friend of mine texts me “And you said only the Yankees could do this” (Referring to when I told him that the Yankees could make comebacks, but not the Phillies). So I turn the game on to see that it’s now tied up. Howard on second, Werth at the plate. Werth hits the ball into right-center and drives Howard in. I go absolutely crazy. Then we have the fairly harmelss bottom of the 9th and on to the LCS we go.
Thank god for that friend of mine.
If he never texts me, I probably don’t turn the game back on, and therefore I don’t get to see the go ahead run score.
I still feel bad for turning the game off, i’m ashamed to call myself a Phillies fan. I’m going to write up a set of rules for myself, depicting when it is ok to shut off a playoff game.
Anyways
We get the luck of playing to Dodgers (who I of course predicted to be swept) tomorrow. Clayton Kershaw v. Cole Hamels. To be quite honest, I don’t know what to expect from this series. Some days I think the Phillies are the better team, and then others days I believe the better team to be the Dodgers. The Phillies may have Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ, but the Dodgers have such an offense and a phenominal bullpen.
Phillies/Dodgers Prediction: The Dodgers dispatch of the Phillies in 6 Games.
When Hamels and Lee pitch, the Phillies might get some wins, but that bullpen of LA is so good. If the Phillies want a chance, they have to destroy the starting pitching of the Dodgers.
The Yankees, fresh off their sweep of the Twins (the only prediction I got right), get to face an old foe in the Los Angeles Angels. This series reminds me a lot of the Boston/LA series, because one team always seems to have the other teams number. In the ALDS, that “curse” was broken as the Angels finally beat Boston. But, will this Yankees team be able to beat this very strong Angel club? The Angels definetly have the starting pitching advantage, but the offense of the Yankees is much stronger.
Angels/Yankees Prediction: The Yankees win the series in 7 Games.
Even if the starting pitching for LA holds up, the Yankee offense will continually chip away at these pitchers, get their pitch counts up, and then knock them out of the game; I definetly think the Yankee offense can beat the Angel bullpen.
Well, hopefully my predictions go better, but in a perfect world, the Phillies would be going back to the World Series. However, this world isn’t perfect.
The 2009 Playoffs, Day 6
First of all, I can’t tell you how happy I was to be able to stay up until 2:15 IN THE MORNING to watch my Phillies win. Poor scheduling MLB, poor scheduling. I guess I can just be thankful that they won that game.
Reasons to be Thankful:
Reason 1: That would have been the worst loss ever if I had to sit up that long for nothing.
Reason 2: The Phillies really didn’t play all that well of a game, in my opinion at least. The pitching was weak and everytime the offense got something going, the Rockies put us back in our place.
Reason 3: Brad Lidge. Lidge did his job in giving Phillies fans reason to scream at the television and chew their fingernails down to the bone. You may say he got the save, but I really don’t think that was a good sign, he still wasn’t all that good.
At the end of the day, the Phillies won, their up 2-1, and Cliff Lee is pitching today.
There were other games yesterday as well. The Los Angeles Angels completed the sweep of a team they couldn’t beat in the playoffs. Congrats to the Angels because now they’ve showed me they can beat Boston, not to mention the way they did it. I have nothing against Boston, but I really don’t like Papelbon at all, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy, good job LA.
The New York Yankees also completed their sweep of the Minnesota Twins, a team they’ve beat every single time this season. That baserunning error by Nick Punto actually broke my heart, because I could only imagine what all those Twins fans were feeling, watching their season disappear right before their eyes. The Twins did a good job to get there, it’s just sad the way it ended. On a side note, I feel for Carl Pavano too, he pitched a phenominal game, and made two bad pitches that ruined him.
Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies – Game 4 (2-1 Philadelphia)
6:07 ET: Cliff Lee v. Ubaldo Jimenez
Cliff Lee’s Record: 14-13, 3.22 ERA
Postseason Record: 1-0, 1.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
This Postseason Record: 1-0, 1.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Ubaldo Jimenez’ Record: 15-12, 3.47 ERA
Postseason Record: 0-2, 3.86 ERA (4 starts, 0 relief)
This Postseason Record: 0-1, 9.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Cliff Lee was nothing short of phenominal in Game 1 of the series, watching that game was a pleasure. I really hope Cliff can go out there tonight and battle the weather and do the same thing all over again, if he can, the Phillies move on to play the Dodgers.
Ubaldo Jimenez was rolling right along in Game 1, and then, it all just fell apart for Jimenez. What makes me nervous though is that when he was on, he was running over the Phillies hitters. Ubaldo is capable of domination, let us see what he can do in this big game for the Rocks.
The 2009 Playoffs, Day 5
So the Phillies won game 1, as did the Dodgers and Yankees. Then went to Washington D.C. and missed everything from Days 2, 3, and 4. I come home to find that the Cardinals, who I picked to go to the World Series, have been swept. The Phillies lost game 2 and I was aggravated (I was getting updates in Washington from a friend of mine), and then I found out they wanted to start Pedro Martinez and I went through the roof. Lucky for them, it got cancelled. The Yankees are up 2-0 on the Twins, but I heard about that blown call in Game 2 that basically changed the game, though I havn’t seen it. Boston, who I had winning in 5, has their backs against the wall now after losing the first two, maybe things won’t be the same this year.
Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox – Game 3 (2-0 Los Angeles)
12:07: Scott Kazmir v. Clay Buchholz
Scott Kazmir’s Record: 10-9, 4.89 ERA
Postseason Record: 1-1, 4.21 ERA (5 starts, 0 relief)
Clay Buchholz’ Record: 7-4, 4.21 ERA
Postseason Record: N/A
New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins – Game 3 (2-0 New York)
7:07: Andy Pettitte v. Carl Pavano
Andy Pettitte’s Record: 14-8, 4.16 ERA
Postseason Record: 14-9, 3.96 ERA (35 starts, 0 relief)
Carl Pavano’s Record: 14-12, 5.10 ERA
Postseason Record: 2-0, 1.40 ERA (2 starts, 6 relief)
Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies – Game 3 (1-1 tie)
10:07: J.A. Happ v. Jason Hammel
J.A. Happ’s Record: 12-4, 2.93 ERA
Postseason Record: 0-0, 3.00 ERA (0 starts, 2 relief)
Jason Hammel’s Record: 10-8, 4.33 ERA
Postseason Record: N/A
Four of the six pitchers have postseason experience, they all have a pretty fair amount of success.
Andy Pettitte has made 35 starts in the playoffs. If you were to add up the starts of the other three pitchers with postseason experience you would have to multiply it by five to reach Pettitte’s amount.
J.A. Happ is the man who really should be on the mound, not Pedro Martinez. I still remember that complete game shutout Happ pitched against the Rockies earlier this year, that game might have saved his role as a starter.
Oh the irony, Carl Pavano goes up against the New York Yankees tonight. Could you even imagine him pitching a good game and saving the Twins playoff chances?
Clay Buchholz first playoff game will be one in which the Red Sox need to win, quite the pressure packed situation if you ask me. Not to mention, they will be at Fenway Park, which adds even more pressure.
Jason Hammel may be one of the most average pitchers in the league. Record, average, ERA, average. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not effective. I’ll bet Hammel does alright in playoff start #1.
Scott Kazmir is ready to go through the playoffs again, much like last year. Although this year, Kazmir isn’t the ace anymore. He’s also not playing for an underdog team either. It’ll be similar, but not so similar for Scott.
The 2009 Playoffs, Day 1
Three games on today to start the postseason, The Rockies take on the Phillies, the Twins face the Yankees, and the Cardinals meet the Dodgers.
Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies – Game 1
2:37 ET: Ubaldo Jimenez v. Cliff Lee
Ubaldo Jimenez’ Record: 15-12, 3.47 ERA
Past Postseason Record: 0-1, 2.25 ERA (3 starts, 0 relief)
Cliff Lee’s Record: 14-13, 3.22 ERA
Past Postseason Record: N/A
Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees – Game 1
6:07 ET: Brian Duensing v. CC Sabathia
Brian Duensing’s Record: 5-2, 3.64 ERA
Past Postseason Record: N/A
CC Sabathia’s Record: 19-8, 3.37 ERA
Past Postseason Record: 2-3, 7.92 ERA (5 starts, 0 relief)
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 1
9:37 ET: Chris Carpenter v. Randy Wolf
Chris Carpenter’s Record: 17-4, 2.24 ERA
Past Postseason Record: 5-1, 2.53 ERA (8 starts, 0 relief)
Randy Wolf’s Record: 11-7, 3.23 ERA
Past Postseason Record: N/A
Of the six pitchers today, three have them have pitched in the playoffs before. Of those three, two of them have been pretty successful.
Judging by regular season record and past playoff experience, Chris Carpenter is the best pitcher on the mound today.
CC Sabathia really needs to turn things around this year. The Yankees have 0 chance to win if he pitched poorly.
The Twins are starting a rookie in Brian Duensing, clearly they’ve had a lot of work to do this past week, but I find it surprising, then again, who else is there?
Cliff Lee hasn’t been Cliff Lee over his last seven games, I hope his first playoff experience is a good one.
Ubaldo Jimenez will be in a very familiar place today, back in Philadelphia where he made his postseason debut, where, much to my dismay, his Rockies destroyed my Phillies.
Randy Wolf has been in the league a long time, but just now will he be pitching in the playoffs for the fisrt time, I wish him the best and I hope the Wolf Pack is with him.
I’m looking forward to these games today, playoff baseball is back.
The 2009 Postseason Prediction Show
My original picks for the season were embarassing at best. I had the Cubs, Mets, and Indians winning their respective divisions. Kansas City and Cincinnati were both finishing second in the AL and NL Central. St. Louis and Colorado were both finishing 4th. Arizona was in second place. The Chicago Cubs were getting swept in the World Series by the Red Sox.
Well, there was some good to those picks too, but it’s not worth the time to discuss now.
ALDS #1
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees
The Yankees are going to win this series depsite all of the momentum the Twins are carrying with them. While New York’s starting pitching is a bit shaky, that offense is just too overpowering. I’ll be surprised if the Twins win a game. We’ll say it’s a sweep for New York.
ALDS #2
Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels
As good as those Angels look, i’m going to have a hard time thinking they can finally beat Boston. The Angels simply cannot beat the Red Sox in the playoffs, and before I pick them they need to show me otherwise. The Red Sox will advance and win it in five games, it won’t be easy though.
NLDS #1
Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies
As a big time Phillies fan, I don’t like the matchup at all. The Rockies beat us in 2007 when they had all that momentum, and surprise surprise, they have momentum again. Not to mention that Phillies bullpen has become a big disgrace with all the injuries and the failure. Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels may pitch well, but unless they pitch complete games, we can’t win. Also, the offense needs to be clicking, which i’m afraid it might not be. Colorado is a good team, I think they win it in four.
NLDS #2
St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers may have been the best team in the National League based on their record, but they look like a car out of gas being pushed into the station. Not to mention, the 1-2-3 punch of Carpenter-Wainwright-Pineiro will be too much to handle. St. Louis will sweep them right out of the playoffs.
I’ll have the remainder of the picks when I have more time.
162 game couldn’t decide a winner, it’s an amazing game
The Detroit Tigers will travel to Minnesota to take on the Twins in game #163.
Pitching for the Tigers: Rick Porcello. Porcello, a rookie mind you, has made 30 starts this season, and he didn’t even pitch in a Major League game last year. Rick likes to throw the sinker, that is why he only has 81 K’s in 165 innings pitched, but that sinker has gotten him 14 wins. His ERA on the season is 4.04, which is definetly respectable for a young pitcher, it was at 4.26 five starts ago. Against the Minnesota Twins, his ERA is 3.71 in three games, with a record of 1-2. At the Metrodome, he is 0-2 with an ERA of 6:30.
Pitching for the Twins: Scott Baker. Baker is a guy that I expected to be much better than he’s been. Last season, he went 11-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 28 starts. Baker still has 15 wins this year, and his WHIP is good at 1.19, but his ERA is almost a whole run higher than last season. Against the Tigers, he is 1-1 with a bad ERA of 6.75, his last start against them was his best, which is a good thing. Scott is actually better on the road with a 9-4 mark and a 4.17 ERA, compared to his 6-5 record with a 4.55 ERA at home.
Who will win?
The Minnesota Twins will prevail in this contest. Rick Porcello may be the better pitcher and the Tigers might even have the better offense, but the Twins have their ace in the hole. That ace is the Metrodome. Throughout my baseball following life i’ve never believed home field advantage to be that important, but this is different. Those Minnesota fans love that ballpark and they are so into this playoff run. The crowd will be insane the whole game (so long as it’s close) and I think they can carry Minnesota to a victory in one last hurrah for the Dome.
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