The Season that Refused to End
Did anyone think that the Twins would roar back after splitting their four game season against the Tigers last week?
They went into Friday’s play out two games, magic number two, for Detroit. Then Friday night, Minnesota won, Detroit lost, magic number still two, but Minnesota was then just a game out. Reload and get ready for Saturday, again Minnesota won, Detroit, lost, everything was even. Bring on Sunday, if one team wins and the other loses, the winning team wins. If both teams win or both teams lose, a shootout on Tuesday in Minnesota delayed one day by the Brett Favre Bowl Monday night in Minneapolis. Both teams won setting the stage for the sudden death elimination game, the game (and season) that refused to end. Detroit scored 3 runs in the top of the first answered by a single run by Minnesota who would then score one in 6th and two in the 7th to briefly pull ahead4-3. Detroit would tie the game in the top of the eighth sending the game into extra innings after neither team scored in the 9th. Detroit took the lead in the 10th scoring a single run which was answered by Minnesota in the bottom of the inning. Finally, in the bottom of the 12th, Alexi Casilla, who had been brought in as a pinch runner and now was batting as the DH drove in the winning run, Twins win!!! Twins win!!!
Surely, this is tough medicine for Detroit, a metropolitan area in deep recession with the fall of the auto industry. The Tigers had been in first since early May and as late as September 16th held a 4 ½ game lead over the Twins. The Twins held out faint hopes that they could master the Tigers in their next to last series in Detroit.
The irony in all this is the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome set to close for baseball action with the end of the season lives on to host at least one more game in the playoffs before the Minnesota Twins open Target field next April, no more boomers of the baggy and fielders losing fly balls in the fabric covered ceiling. The New York Yankees will endure one more visit to the dome in game three.
Post Season Preview
With a 103 win season, stellar performances by Mark Texiera, C.C. Sabathia, Derek Jeter and others, the New York Yankees look ready to march through the playoffs to yet another World Championship for 2009. Who can stop the Yankees?
Truthfully, any of the other teams competing in this year’s post season. Considering the first series is only five games, if the Twins gets hot, it’s over. However, the Yankees have a great record against the Minnesota Twins this year, then it’s on to either compete with either the Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees dominated the Red Sox in their later matchups but the Sox handled them with ease early in the year. The Angels were one of the Yankees toughest competitors this past season.
Sorting out the picture in the National League is more difficult. Philadelphia is the defending champion, but they’re probably not as strong as they were last year. First, their closer, Brad Lidge, has been a disaster especially during the second half of the season. The Dodgers looked like a team that simply did not want to finish the deal playing effectively only in spurts after the All-Star break with Manny Ramirez, the troublesome outfielder, being largely ineffective since coming off suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Meanwhile, since mid-June, no team in the National League has played better than the Colorado Rockies who were buried in last place 14 ½ game out on June 4th. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals hung around near the top in the early season before becoming rock solid and consistent completely taking command of the NL Central in the 2nd half. Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA) and Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA) led the starting rotation with unthinkably low ERA’s in today’s game getting added support from Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49), the Cardinals hurlers set the stage for arguably the game’s best player to work his magic in the batter’s box. Albert Pujols added to his Hall-of-Fame credentials with 47 homers, 136 RBI’s, and a .427 batting average. Adding Matt Holiday in the outfield in a deal with Oakland provided some lineup protection and a body on the bases with his .353 average with the Cardinals. Adding to the offense is right fielder, Ryan Ludwick’s production, 97 RBI’s and 22 homers.
It’s interesting to note how close the final records of the NL playoff teams were with the L.A. Dodgers leading the pace at 95-67, followed by Philadelphia at 93-69, Colorado at 92-70, and St. Louis at 91-71. While St. Louis has the weakest season long record, given the strength of their starters and proven offense anchored by Albert Pujols, it’s hard not to see them as the potential favorite. Here's the action...
Did anyone think that the Twins would roar back after splitting their four game season against the Tigers last week?
They went into Friday’s play out two games, magic number two, for Detroit. Then Friday night, Minnesota won, Detroit lost, magic number still two, but Minnesota was then just a game out. Reload and get ready for Saturday, again Minnesota won, Detroit, lost, everything was even. Bring on Sunday, if one team wins and the other loses, the winning team wins. If both teams win or both teams lose, a shootout on Tuesday in Minnesota delayed one day by the Brett Favre Bowl Monday night in Minneapolis. Both teams won setting the stage for the sudden death elimination game, the game (and season) that refused to end. Detroit scored 3 runs in the top of the first answered by a single run by Minnesota who would then score one in 6th and two in the 7th to briefly pull ahead4-3. Detroit would tie the game in the top of the eighth sending the game into extra innings after neither team scored in the 9th. Detroit took the lead in the 10th scoring a single run which was answered by Minnesota in the bottom of the inning. Finally, in the bottom of the 12th, Alexi Casilla, who had been brought in as a pinch runner and now was batting as the DH drove in the winning run, Twins win!!! Twins win!!!
Surely, this is tough medicine for Detroit, a metropolitan area in deep recession with the fall of the auto industry. The Tigers had been in first since early May and as late as September 16th held a 4 ½ game lead over the Twins. The Twins held out faint hopes that they could master the Tigers in their next to last series in Detroit.
The irony in all this is the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome set to close for baseball action with the end of the season lives on to host at least one more game in the playoffs before the Minnesota Twins open Target field next April, no more boomers of the baggy and fielders losing fly balls in the fabric covered ceiling. The New York Yankees will endure one more visit to the dome in game three.
Post Season Preview
With a 103 win season, stellar performances by Mark Texiera, C.C. Sabathia, Derek Jeter and others, the New York Yankees look ready to march through the playoffs to yet another World Championship for 2009. Who can stop the Yankees?
Truthfully, any of the other teams competing in this year’s post season. Considering the first series is only five games, if the Twins gets hot, it’s over. However, the Yankees have a great record against the Minnesota Twins this year, then it’s on to either compete with either the Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees dominated the Red Sox in their later matchups but the Sox handled them with ease early in the year. The Angels were one of the Yankees toughest competitors this past season.
Sorting out the picture in the National League is more difficult. Philadelphia is the defending champion, but they’re probably not as strong as they were last year. First, their closer, Brad Lidge, has been a disaster especially during the second half of the season. The Dodgers looked like a team that simply did not want to finish the deal playing effectively only in spurts after the All-Star break with Manny Ramirez, the troublesome outfielder, being largely ineffective since coming off suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Meanwhile, since mid-June, no team in the National League has played better than the Colorado Rockies who were buried in last place 14 ½ game out on June 4th. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals hung around near the top in the early season before becoming rock solid and consistent completely taking command of the NL Central in the 2nd half. Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA) and Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA) led the starting rotation with unthinkably low ERA’s in today’s game getting added support from Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49), the Cardinals hurlers set the stage for arguably the game’s best player to work his magic in the batter’s box. Albert Pujols added to his Hall-of-Fame credentials with 47 homers, 136 RBI’s, and a .427 batting average. Adding Matt Holiday in the outfield in a deal with Oakland provided some lineup protection and a body on the bases with his .353 average with the Cardinals. Adding to the offense is right fielder, Ryan Ludwick’s production, 97 RBI’s and 22 homers.
It’s interesting to note how close the final records of the NL playoff teams were with the L.A. Dodgers leading the pace at 95-67, followed by Philadelphia at 93-69, Colorado at 92-70, and St. Louis at 91-71. While St. Louis has the weakest season long record, given the strength of their starters and proven offense anchored by Albert Pujols, it’s hard not to see them as the potential favorite. Here's the action...
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Divisional Series Schedule
Today
NL: Colorado at Philadelphia, 2:30 pm, game 1
AL: Minnesota at New York, 6:00 pm, game 1
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:30 pm game 1
Thursday, October 8
NL: Colorado at Philadelphia, 2:30, game 2
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:00 pm, game 2
AL: Boston at Los Angeles Angels, 9:30 pm game 1
Friday, October 9
AL: Minnesota at New York, 6:00 pm, game 2
AL: Boston at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:30 pm, game 2
Saturday, October 10
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:00 pm, game 3
NL: Philadelphia at Colorado, 9:30 pm, game 3
Sunday: October 11
AL: New York at Minnesota, game 3, TBD
AL: Los Angeles Angels at Boston, game 3, TBD
NL: Philadelphia at Colorado, game 4 (if needed) TBD
NL: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis, game 4 (if needed) TBD
Monday, October 12
AL: New York at Minnesota, game 4 (if needed) TBD
AL: Los Angeles Angels at Boston, game 4 (if needed) TBD
Tuesday, October 13
NL: Colorado at Philadelphia, game 5 (if needed) TBD
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, game 5 (if needed) TBD
Wednesday, October 14
AL: Minnesota at New York, game 5 (if needed) TBD
AL: Boston at Los Angeles Angels, game 5 (if needed) TBD
Predictions:
AL:
Today
NL: Colorado at Philadelphia, 2:30 pm, game 1
AL: Minnesota at New York, 6:00 pm, game 1
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:30 pm game 1
Thursday, October 8
NL: Colorado at Philadelphia, 2:30, game 2
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:00 pm, game 2
AL: Boston at Los Angeles Angels, 9:30 pm game 1
Friday, October 9
AL: Minnesota at New York, 6:00 pm, game 2
AL: Boston at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:30 pm, game 2
Saturday, October 10
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:00 pm, game 3
NL: Philadelphia at Colorado, 9:30 pm, game 3
Sunday: October 11
AL: New York at Minnesota, game 3, TBD
AL: Los Angeles Angels at Boston, game 3, TBD
NL: Philadelphia at Colorado, game 4 (if needed) TBD
NL: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis, game 4 (if needed) TBD
Monday, October 12
AL: New York at Minnesota, game 4 (if needed) TBD
AL: Los Angeles Angels at Boston, game 4 (if needed) TBD
Tuesday, October 13
NL: Colorado at Philadelphia, game 5 (if needed) TBD
NL: St. Louis at Los Angeles Dodgers, game 5 (if needed) TBD
Wednesday, October 14
AL: Minnesota at New York, game 5 (if needed) TBD
AL: Boston at Los Angeles Angels, game 5 (if needed) TBD
Predictions:
AL:
The Yankees swept the Twins in seven regular season games and given the Twins start game one rushed into New York for a 6:00 pm start, the Yankees should dominate this series with ease. No one should be surprised if game 3 in Minnesota will be the last baseball game ever at the Dome.
The other AL contest is a little trickier. While the Red Sox won 4 to the Angels 5 in regular season competition, the Red Sox have clearly had the Angels’ number in postseason matchups. In the quirky mess of the MLB schedule, the Sox played six games in Anaheim in April and May before playing three games at home against the Angels in September. In their recent matchup, Boston prevailed 2-1. While Boston’s performance was uneven in September, given rest and the chance to get their pitching lined up properly, the Sox should edge the Angels, but it could take all five games.
NL:
Philadelphia must score early and often so as not to be dependent on the Phillies miserable bullpen if they are to advance, so our pick is for the Colorado Rockies to prevail. With timely hitting and solid starting pitching, St. Louis should conquer the Dodgers.
The other AL contest is a little trickier. While the Red Sox won 4 to the Angels 5 in regular season competition, the Red Sox have clearly had the Angels’ number in postseason matchups. In the quirky mess of the MLB schedule, the Sox played six games in Anaheim in April and May before playing three games at home against the Angels in September. In their recent matchup, Boston prevailed 2-1. While Boston’s performance was uneven in September, given rest and the chance to get their pitching lined up properly, the Sox should edge the Angels, but it could take all five games.
NL:
Philadelphia must score early and often so as not to be dependent on the Phillies miserable bullpen if they are to advance, so our pick is for the Colorado Rockies to prevail. With timely hitting and solid starting pitching, St. Louis should conquer the Dodgers.
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