Apparently the Dodgers are not unbeatable
Brad Lidge just shut the door on the Dodgers, giving Philly a 1-0 lead in their series. The Phillies came from behind, held onto the lead and won a game at home.
Nice to see that's possible.
On to the matchups for the League Championship Series in the AL and NL.
National League:
Phillies vs. Dodgers - The series was tied 4-4 in the regular season, but Philly broke free tonight in the first game to really matter.
Here's where it gets interesting - the home team won each game in the regular season. Additionally, the Phillies won their games at home against Los Angeles in August. Let's call this the anti-Cub effect.
To summarize, the Phillies won home games, after the addition of Manny Ramirez and won again tonight. It's pretty simple really:
Step one - Make the playoffs
Step two - Secure home field advantage
Step three - Win your home games
Step four - Dance on field with large trophy
American League:
Rays vs. Red Sox - Another one to sink your teeth into. Divisional foes face off after 18 games in the regular season. Red Sox 8, Tampa Bay 10. By my count, half of those 18 were won or lost by a reliever, so don't be surprised by barn burners.
My concerns about the Sox stand - Mike Lowell is hurt. JD Drew is hurt. David Ortiz is not the same monster he was with Ramirez in the lineup. I also stand by the statement that if teams other than the Cubs, Angels or Rays made the World Series, I'd be surprised.
Consider me surprised.
* What about Ortiz?
When I have more than a few minutes to spend, we'll check out Ortiz's numbers pre- and post-Manny, but with a .282 average, 12 RBI and 5 HR in the final 10 regular season games, things don't seem so bad.
Granted, seven of the RBI and three of the HR came in two games, but the numbers on their own aren't so bad.
In four games against the Angels, Ortiz is 4-for-17 with one run, one RBI and three walks. Just for a simple comparison, last year, he was 5-for-7 with five runs, three RBI and six walks.
It's an imperfect comparison, but the numbers are really off this season. Whether it's an injury, a lack of protection in the lineup or just the ups and downs of a slugger's season, something is amiss.
So, yeah, enjoy the series, Sox fans.
(Image from: Boston.com)
Nice to see that's possible.On to the matchups for the League Championship Series in the AL and NL.
National League:
Phillies vs. Dodgers - The series was tied 4-4 in the regular season, but Philly broke free tonight in the first game to really matter.
Here's where it gets interesting - the home team won each game in the regular season. Additionally, the Phillies won their games at home against Los Angeles in August. Let's call this the anti-Cub effect.
To summarize, the Phillies won home games, after the addition of Manny Ramirez and won again tonight. It's pretty simple really:
Step one - Make the playoffs
Step two - Secure home field advantage
Step three - Win your home games
Step four - Dance on field with large trophy
American League:
Rays vs. Red Sox - Another one to sink your teeth into. Divisional foes face off after 18 games in the regular season. Red Sox 8, Tampa Bay 10. By my count, half of those 18 were won or lost by a reliever, so don't be surprised by barn burners.
My concerns about the Sox stand - Mike Lowell is hurt. JD Drew is hurt. David Ortiz is not the same monster he was with Ramirez in the lineup. I also stand by the statement that if teams other than the Cubs, Angels or Rays made the World Series, I'd be surprised.
Consider me surprised.
* What about Ortiz?
When I have more than a few minutes to spend, we'll check out Ortiz's numbers pre- and post-Manny, but with a .282 average, 12 RBI and 5 HR in the final 10 regular season games, things don't seem so bad.
Granted, seven of the RBI and three of the HR came in two games, but the numbers on their own aren't so bad.
In four games against the Angels, Ortiz is 4-for-17 with one run, one RBI and three walks. Just for a simple comparison, last year, he was 5-for-7 with five runs, three RBI and six walks.
It's an imperfect comparison, but the numbers are really off this season. Whether it's an injury, a lack of protection in the lineup or just the ups and downs of a slugger's season, something is amiss.
So, yeah, enjoy the series, Sox fans.
(Image from: Boston.com)
Labels: Post-Season 2008
posted by Matt G at
9:58 PM
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