The Pennant Race - 10/2

Three of the four playoff series got underway yesterday, with some good games right off the bat.

Cole as Ice

It may have only been his second career playoff game, but Cole Hamels looked like Whitey Ford yesterday for the Phillies. Hamels limited the Brewers to just two runs over eight innings as the Phillies beat Milwaukee, 3-1.

Brad Lidge may have been 41-41 in save situations this season, but we still don't trust him in big spots. His performance yesterday did nothing to change that. Lidge struck out the side, but not before allowing a run on two hits and a walk.

Game 2 is tonight with CC Sabathia facing off against Brett Myers.


Loney Slams Cubs

It's a managerial match up of ex-Yankees managers. Joe Torre in his first year with the Dodgers and Lou Piniella in his second season with the Cubs. The Cubs sent 17-game winner Ryan Dempster to the mound in game one and things looked good as Chicago led 1-0 through four innings.

But James Loney, who was 3-4 in his only other playoff experience, hit his first career playoff grand slam to give the Dodgers the lead for good. Manny Ramirez added a solo shot for good measure, as did Russell Martin.

Dempster struggled with his control, walking seven Dodgers, while Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed two runs in six innings of work for the win. The series continues tonight at Wrigley with Chad Billingsley facing Carlos Zambrano.


Manny Who?

Everyone knows Jason Bay is very talented, but when you're in a deal for Manny Ramirez, you don't get a lot of attention. That may change after last night, when Bay's 2-run home run put the Red Sox ahead and catapulted them to a 4-1 win.

The Angels had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning against Boston starter Jon Lester, but Bay made his first playoff appearance a memorable one, hitting a John Lackey pitch over the left field wall.

Lester breezed through seven and the Red Sox gave Jon Papelbon room to work with, scoring a pair of runs off of Scot Shields in the ninth. The series continues on Friday night with Dice-K facing Ervin Santana.

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Battle of the Windy City

It would be the Civil War, Illinois style (maybe they'll make one of these neat replica chess sets). As we see it, the World Series won't be leaving the Windy City this year as the Cubs and White Sox will meet in the championship.

What better way for the Cubs to end their miserable streak of losing then to beat their hated crosstown rivals?

Here's our round by round break down.


ALDS

Red Sox vs. Angels - Wow this is tough. The defending champs are banged up. Josh Beckett may not be able to go. At the very least he won't start until game three. Mike Lowell (hip) and J.D. Drew (back) are also having lingering issues.

The Angels have had trouble beating the Red Sox in the past, but this year they should be able to handle them. Which is why we are picking the Red Sox in 5. Yes, you read that correctly. The Angels clinched the AL West very early, and their starting pitching hasn't looked so terrific the last month of the season. Being that we hate the Red Sox, we hope we're wrong, but we think Dice-K and Jon Lester make the difference in this one.
Red Sox in 5.

White Sox vs. Rays - The Rays are in their very first post-season while their opponent won the World Series just three years ago, and much of that team is still intact. We think the Rays starting pitching and bullpen will take on water in some of the cracks we've started to see. Dan Wheeler and company just are not that great, and Troy Percival is banged up.

Scott Kazmir is great, but isn't always on. Garza and Shields are good, but hittable. Sonnanstine and Jackson? Nah.

Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks should be the difference here, as well as the White Sox set up men to Bobby Jenks. The Sox also have a lot of momentum coming off of Monday's huge win and last night's one game playoff with the Twins.
White Sox in 4


NLDS

Brewers vs. Phillies - Unfortunately for Milwaukee, CC Sabathia cannot go every day. He is slated to come back on three days rest again for game two and is also scheduled for game 5. We don't see this going that long though.

The Phillies have tremendous hitting, good starting pitching, and a solid pen. They also have the experience of last year's playoff failure to build off of. The Brewers haven't been in the post-season since they won the World Series in 1982.
Phillies in 4

Dodgers vs. Cubs - We're sure Manny will have a huge series and Joe Torre will be the talk of the town...for a bit. We expect another first round exit by Torre, though it will be no fault of his own. The Cubs are just a better, deeper ball club than the Dodgers.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden are the keys to the series. Their health and ability to pitch. And Ted Lilly is on a roll.
Cubs in 5


ALCS

Red Sox vs. White Sox - Sox it to me. Should be a well pitched game, but the number games will take its toll on the banged up Red Sox.
White Sox in 6

Phillies vs. Cubs - This should be a great one that could go the distance. We think it will come up just shy of that, however, with the Cubs sacrificing a goat and Bartman before game six.
Cubs in 6


World Series
White Sox vs. Cubs - Brother vs. Brother. This one goes the distance, with the Cubs winning by a knockout late.
Cubs in 7

World Series MVP Prediction - Aramis Ramirez

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End of an Era

They didn't go out with a whimper, but it certainly wasn't with a bang either. The Yankees solo homered their way to a 6-4 loss, made Paul Byrd look like Catfish Hunter, put an end to the ALDS, and, most certainly, the Joe Torre era. Chien-Ming Wang, doing his best Ed Figueroa impersonation, spit the bit for the 2nd time in the series. Derek Jeter hit into yet another double play. Jorge Posada struck out to end the game in what might be his last at-bat as a Yankee. The only consolation is not having to listen to one more second of Chip Caray, Dane Cook, or Frank Caliendo.

Torre was emotional during his post-game press conference. He choked up as he talked about his relationship with his players, and fondly recalled his 12 years in pinstripes ("it felt like 10 minutes"). The fans gave him a standing ovation and chanted his name as he made a pitching change late in the game. And even though I had turned on him the last couple of years, tired of his costly mistakes and his handling of the bullpen, I still have the utmost respect for the man and what he has accomplished as Yankees manager.

Some buffoons still refer to him as "Clueless Joe", wanting to give him no credit for the victories, but all the blame for the losses. These are the true clueless people, many of whom think Steinbrenner is the greatest gift to baseball and mankind.

The vultures are already sitting at the door. Bill Madden, who had everyone convinced Lou Piniella would be taking over before this season, is already pushing Tony LaRussa's name in everyone's face. Bill do us favor, shut up. To paraphrase Peter Abraham's words, the Tampa contingent must be licking their chops at the chance to vilify Torre. These are the people who took piano lessons as kids instead of playing ball. The latter was strictly my words.























And it's not just about Torre's time as manager coming to end. By next season, Derek Jeter could be the only throwback to the 1996-2000 teams. Alex Rodriguez can, and most certainly will, opt out of his contract 10 days after the World Series ends. Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada are both free agents. Mo's words last night seemed a bit tinged with bitterness (this is only from reading the transcript not actually hearing him) as he said he would test the free agent market. Posada, who has said he would all along, backed off that a little last night as he was clearly consumed by the loss. Say what you want about him, Posada is a true leader in the clubhouse and on the field.

One final thought - Go Cleveland. Make no mistake- we do NOT want the Red Sox anywhere near the World Series.

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Game 4 Lineups

Paul Byrd vs. Chien-Ming Wang

Jason Giambi back on the bench, Doug Mientkiewicz back in the lineup.

Indians

Grady Sizemore CF
Asdrubal Cabrera 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Victor Martinez 1B
Jhonny Peralta SS
Kenny Lofton LF
Franklin Gutierrez RF
Casey Blake 3B
Kelly Shoppach C


Yankees

Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Doug Mientkiewicz 1B

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Be Careful What You Wish For

Last year we all wanted to face the Tigers in the 1st round of the playoffs. We all know how that turned out. This year it was lets face the Indians since we want no part of our nemesis, the Angels. So now the Yankees are fighting for their post-season lives and the slumping, battered Angels slinked home, swept by the Red Sox.

Chien-Ming Wang gets a chance to redeem himself tonight for his awful outing in game 1. As for the Indians, again be careful what you wish for. When Eric Wedge announced that Paul Byrd would go tonight, there was a collective yell of "YESSSS" throughout Yankee land. Anyone would rather face Byrd rather than C.C. Sabathia on 3 day's rest...or would they? The big guy threw 114 pitches and maybe he's not up to throwing on 3 day's rest. We'll never know.

Tino Martinez threw out the 1st pitch in last night's ball game. Peter Abraham had a great idea- get Bernie Williams to throw out tonight's 1st pitch.

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Captain, My Captain

What have you done with Derek Jeter? Someone scrub has inhabited his body. The Captain is having a very non-Jeteresque post-season thus far. Wins are what come first, but it was impossible to avoid realizing just how bad a game Jeter had last night.

Granted, the first inning chopper was a tough play. Charge it, throw across your body. He's made the play a thousand times in his sleep. But he didn't make it last night, his throw well off the mark. The play was ruled an infield single and helped lead to a 1st inning.

Then came the 2 double plays and the strike out on an 0-4 night. He's now 1-12 with 4 strikeouts in the ALDS. If the Yankees are to come all the way back, the Captain must start playing like himself.

photo courtesy of AP

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Yankees Pass Torch, Stay Alive

Maybe it was much more than symbolic, for when Phil Hughes replaced Roger Clemens last night, the Yankees fortunes changed. Clemens balky hamstring forced him from the game, but after allowing an inherited runner to score, Hughes settled in and kept his team in the game. The result was an 8-4 Yankees victory and the chance to fight another day.

Clemens aggravated the injury when Kenny Lofton attempted a bunt down the 3rd base line (which evoked old anger- why why why did no Yankee try to bunt on Schilling and his ketchupy sock in '04!). With his leg tightly wrapped between innings, Clemens returned to the hill, but couldn't push over his front leg. Having made one trip to the mound already, with trainer Gene Monahan, Joe Torre pulled Clemens for maybe the last time after the Rocket struck out Victor Martinez for the 1st out of the 3rd inning. With George Steinbrenner's words casting a shadow over the Stadium, things seemed grim.

The Yankees got the lead off man on in each of the first 2 innings, but Jake Westbrook induced a pair of double play grounders and it looked like it was going to be another poor night at the plate. But Johnny Damon got them on the board with an RBI single and Westbrook's history against the Yankees caught up to him in the 5th.

Hideki Matsui laced a 1-out single to left and Robinson Cano followed with a double to left. Melky Cabrera lined a singled to left center to cut the margin to 3-2, with Cano stopping at 3rd. That brought up Damon for the biggest at-bat of the season. Hoping to drive in a run with sac fly, Damon did even better when Westbrook left a pitch up in the zone. The Yankees left fielder hit a high drive to right that landed near the old Yankees bullpen for a 3-run home run and a 5-3 lead.

The Yankee Stadium noise level went up 100% and the golden arm of Hughes continued to keep the Indians bats silent. In the 6th the Yankees put the game out of reach. A-Rod led off with an infield single (for anyone criticizing Jeter's lack of range and arm strength, be glad you don't have Jhonny Peralta). Eric Wedge sent for lefty Aaron Fultz to turn Posada around to the right side, but Posada lashed a single to left to put 2 men aboard with no one out. With the situation calling for a bunt, Torre sent up Doug Mientkiewicz to pinch-hit for Jason Giambi, and the sacrifice worked successfully.

The Indians intentionally walked Matsui to set up a force at any base, but Cano ripped a single to right. The ball skipped under Trot Nixon's glove and nearly rolled to the wall as all 3 base runners scored for an 8-3 lead.

Joba Chamberlain got his 1st taste of Stadium post-season experience, breezing through the 7th before giving up a run and struggling in the 8th. There was much second guessing after the game for leaving Joba in a 2nd inning, but you have to win game 3 before you get to game 4. It was a no-brainer. Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 9th, striking out the final 2 and the Yankees had stayed alive.

photos courtesy of AP

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Game 3 Lineups

Jake Westbrook vs. Roger Clemens

Doug Mientkiewicz sits, Jason Giambi inserted in the lineup


Indians

G. Sizemore cf
A. Cabrera 2b
T. Hafner dh
V. Martinez c
R. Garko 1b
J. Peralta ss
K. Lofton lf
T. Nixon rf
C. Blake 3b

Yankees
J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
J. Posada c
J. Giambi 1b
H. Matsui dh
R. Cano 2b
M. Cabrera cf

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Royal Rumble

The King of the NBA, LeBron James, grew up in Akron, but is a Yankees fan. Queen Latifah grew up in Irvington, NJ. The Queen just threw out the 1st pitch in Cleveland. WTF!

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Game 2 Lineups

Andy Pettitte vs. Fausto Carmona

Torre flip-flopped Matsui and Posada

Yankees
LF Johnny Damon
SS Derek Jeter
RF Bobby Abreu
3B Alex Rodriguez
DH Hideki Matsui
C Jorge Posada
2B Robinson Cano
CF Melky Cabrera
1B Doug Mientkiewicz


Indians
CF Grady Sizmore
2B Asdrubal Cabrera
DH Travis Hafner
C Victor Martinez
1B Ryan Garko
SS Jhonny Peralta
LF Kenny Lofton
RF Jason Michaels
3B Casey Blake

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All Wang from the Beginning

Chien-Ming Wang has been 2 different pitchers at home and on the road this season. Unfortunately last night the road Wang was on the mound. The Yankees 19-game winner, simply put, got his ass kicked. His pitches were up in the zone all evening and the Indians jumped all over them to the tune of 8 runs in 4-plus inning. In the end the scoreboard read Indians 12 Yankees 3, and we as Yankees fans went to bed pissed off.

Before we get into the game, there are only a couple of bright spots to take from this. In recent years the Yankees have been the team to do the pounding in game 1, only to lose the playoff series. The other matter is game 2 is less than 7 hours away. So hopefully Andy Pettitte makes us forget about game 1 and we go back home at a game apiece. You can't ask for more than that when you open on the road. Now back to the regularly scheduled aggravation.

Things started out well, though with a hiccup. Johnny Damon led off the ball game with a solo HR to right field off of C.C. Sabathia, but the ball was initially ruled foul by right field ump Jim Wolf. At the behest of Joe Torre, Damon, and Tony Pena, the umps got together and corrected the call. One-out walks to Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez put the Yankees in good shape, but Sabathia struck out Jorge Posada and retired Hideki Matsui on a ground out to 2nd to escape further trouble.

Wang hit Grady Sizemore with his 1st pitch of the game, but bounced back by getting Asdrubal Cabrera to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. That would be the last good (clutch) pitch Wang would make on the night. The Indians reached him for 3 runs before a base running mistake by Jhonny Peralta mercifully ended the inning. Home runs by the Tribe's Cabrera and the Yankees Robinson Cano gave the Indians a 4-2 lead entering the 5th. That would be the Yankees last chance to make some noise.

Torre decided to try to "get something going" by pinch-hitting Shelley Duncan for Doug Mientkiewicz and the rook came through with a lead off single. Sabathia struggled with his control all night and walked Damon for his 5th free pass of the game. Torre decided to bypass the bunt, but the strategy failed when Derek Jeter flied to right. Abreu, who had already drawn a pair of walks, slapped a double down the left field line to cut the lead to 4-3 and put the tying and go ahead runs in scoring position.

Indians skipper Eric Wedge then made 2 big moves. First he had Sabathia intentionally walk A-Rod to load the bases, and then he stuck with his star left-hander. The move paid off as Sabathia battled back from a 3-0 count to blow a 95-mph fastball past Posada for the 2nd out. A slumping Matsui then popped out to end the inning and the Yankees chance of winning.

The tribe, lead by Kenny Lofton's (how pissed off did that make you?!) 3 hits and 4 RBI, pounded Wang and rookie Russ Ohlendorf. The kid looked like a deer in headlights and so far the gamble to keep him on the roster has not paid off.

The Yankees bats immediately went to sleep when the game got out of hand, managing just 1 hit over the final 4 innings against 3 Tribe relievers.

Torre also gave Phil Hughes a chance to get his feet wet by throwing a couple of innings. The phenom allowed a solo HR to Ryan Garko for his troubles. Jose Veras was the only Yankees pitcher to come out unscathed, retiring the only batter he faced.

...

Making the night worse was listening to TBS' coverage. It's easy to get annoyed at your own announcers when you're losing, but listening to yahoos like Chip Caray makes it much worse.

photos courtesy of AP

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Tonight's Goats

From left to right - Wang, Posada, Matsui

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Wang Crushed

Indians 9 Yankees 3 in the 5th inning....time to watch the 3rd period of the Rangers NHL opener :(

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Break Glass in Case of Late Game

Programming reminder. If the game on TBS is still in progress, the Yankees will begin on time on TNT.

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I am SO Ready

NY Daily News

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Finalized Playoff Roster

Source

RHPs Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Veras are in.

RHP Edwar Ramirez, LHP Ron Villone and RHP Chris Britton are out.

OF Bronson Sardinha is also on the roster as a pinch runner.

Here is tomorrow night's starting lineup and the rest of the post-season roster:

Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Doug Mientkiewicz 1B
Chien-Ming Wang RHP

Bench:

INF Wilson Betemit
1B Jason Giambi
OF-1B Shelley Duncan
C Jose Molina
OF-3B Bronson Sardinha

LHP Andy Pettitte
RHP Roger Clemens
RHP Mike Mussina
RHP Phil Hughes
RHP Mariano Rivera
RHP Joba Chamberlain
RHP Luis Vizcaino
RHP Kyle Farnsworth
RHP Ross Ohlendorf
RHP Jose Veras

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No Sleep 'til Cleveland

Actually get all the sleep you can, because you know how late those playoff games run. Once again, anyone who would like to smash Dane Cook's unfunny head in, be my guest. His hiring to do promos for MLB is only the 2nd most inexplicable thing concerning him - the 1st is people thinking he's funny.

But lets get back to the important stuff. It's October, post-season baseball. There's a chill in the air and excitement that is unmatched. Here is how the ALDS schedule pans out:

Thursday, 6:30: Chien-Ming Wang (19-7, 3.70) vs. C.C. Sabathia (19-7, 3.21)

Friday, 5:00: Andy Pettitte (15-9, 4.05) vs. Fausto Carmona (19-8, 3.06)

Sunday, 6:30: Jake Westbrook (6-9, 4.32) vs. Roger Clemens (6-6, 4.18)

Monday, 6:00 (if necessary)
Wednesday, 5:00 (if necessary)

All games are on TBS, and as you can see NO games are in prime time. Is this a slap in the face to the Yankees. Um, yeah...actually probably more to the Indians, but a slap nonetheless.

The Yankees and Indians have met in the post-season in 1997 and 1998. The former being the last time the Yankees served as the Wild Card rep. It was also the year that made Mariano Rivera tougher. He served up the game tying HR to Sandy Alomar Jr. in game 4 and the Yankees were eliminated in 5 games.

The Yankees trailed the Indians 2 games to 1 in the 1998 ALCS (thanks in part to Chuck Knoblauch's brain cramp), but a poised rookie, who goes by the name of El Duque, beat the Tribe in Cleveland and the Yankees went on to capture the series, and eventually, their 24th world championship.

The teams met 6 times this year and the Yankees took a clean sweep. There was the incredible comeback in April, when A-Rod capped off a wild 9th inning rally with a walk-off home run. The Yankees have always had great success at The Jake (which soon will have corporate sponsorship). This past August they took the 3 games by a 22-6 combined score.

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