By Danny Powell, Tim Robertson, Bob Bonett & Ed Morrone
Pitching staff anchors balanced Diamondbacks attack
By Danny Powell
As we head to the Championship Series round of baseball’s playoffs, the two National League teams have garnered little attention. Most media coverage has swirled around the fallout of the New York Yankees loss and deemed the Boston Red Sox the odds-on favorite to win the World Series. Do not be surprised if the Arizona Diamondbacks manage to sneak-up on people and win their second championship in their 10-year history.
Led by veteran starting pitchers and a stellar bullpen, the D-Backs are the perfect team to cool down the Colorado Rockies red-hot bats. Brandon Webb has become a clear ace and established himself as a perennial Cy Young candidate. Behind him in the rotation are Doug Davis, Livan Hernandez and Micah Owings. Though Davis did not have the best season of his career, he had a strong outing in his Game Two start against the Cubs, yielding four runs on just six hits in 5 2/3 innings while his team backed him with eight runs of their own.
Hernandez, much like his half-brother Orlando Hernandez, is one of the great postseason pitchers in baseball today. He has dropped off a bit with age, but proved he still has what it takes to win in October, shutting down the Cubs in Game Three to allow the Diamondbacks to clinch the Division Series. Hernandez is now 7-2 with a 3.75 earned run average when pitching in the playoffs, with one of those wins being in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.
Then there is Owings, possibly the weakest link in Arizona’s four-man rotation. But even he comes in pitching well. The 25-year-old has not allowed a run in over 15 innings and won his last two starts of the regular season, including a complete-game shutout of the San Francisco Giants on September 18.
And after these four men do their work, Bob Melvin can turn the ball over to one of the most reliable bullpens in all of baseball. First comes middle reliever Tony Pena, who usually pitches the seventh inning. He may be just 25 years old but the Dominican-born right-hander had a brilliant year. His 3.27 ERA is pretty impressive but a WHIP of just 1.10 is simply eye-popping. That means he allows just over one base runner per inning pitched, good numbers for a guy in just his second year as a big leaguer.
After that comes set-up man Brandon Lyon, arguably the best in the business. Lyon posted a 1.24 WHIP and a stunning 2.68 ERA on the season and also the majors in holds with 35. Though he does not strike out many batters, just 40 in 74 innings pitched, he still provides for an effective bridge to one of the best-kept secrets in baseball.
Closer Jose Valverde lead the big leagues in saves this season with 47, and that is no mistake. The veteran had a 2.66 ERA this season and struck out a whopping 78 batters in just 64 1/3 innings. Opposing batters hit just .196 against him this season and there is no reason to believe any of that is going to stop now.
The only thing that may slow the Diamondbacks down is an inexperienced lineup. Despite their youth, Arizona managed to put up 16 runs in three games against the Cubs in the Divisional series. Contributions came from all with eight different batters had at least one run batted in during the NLDS. Whenever the team needed a big hit in the first round of the postseason, it seemed there was someone there to pick it up. If the offense can keep clicking and continue to put up five runs or more in each game, the Diamondbacks pitching staff will have no problem doing the rest of the work.
Expect the Diamondbacks to ride timely hitting and what quietly may be the best pitching staff in October all the way to a World Series championship.
Red-hot Rockies destined for surprise World Series win
By Tim Robertson
Nine innings after the lights went dark at Coors Field on Saturday, the lights went out on the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies’ season. The team to blame for both went from a team of obscurity to one now deemed the team of destiny.
Winners of 17 of 18, the Colorado Rockies are in the best position to have two more champagne parties culminating in the hoisting of the coveted World Series trophy.
Their worthy opponent, the Arizona Diamondbacks, will have home field advantage and start their ace in the first game of the series—similar to the Phillies.
Arizona’s game one starter performed well against all of his foes, except for one—the Rockies. Webb went 1-3 with a 5.77 ERA against Colorado this season as the Rockies took the season series 10-8. Of course, all of this is irrelevant if Arizona took the first game.
Both teams have outstanding youngsters: Stephen Drew for Arizona and Troy Tulowitzki for the Rockies. The difference is Tulowitzki is the frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year.
The Diamondbacks, who handed the Rockies their only loss in the past three weeks-plus, fail in comparison to the potent Colorado offense. Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe all had at least 100 RBI in the regular season, Tulo drove in 99 and veteran first baseman Todd Helton had 91 RBIs. In comparison, Arizona leader Eric Byrnes drove in only 83.
The Rockies, who certainly play in a hitter’s park, enter Chase Field (formerly the BOB, and still a hitter’s park) with an offense that can rack up the runs, and the Diamondbacks, well, they allowed more runs than they scored in the regular season.
A series win may not be predicted by the so-called experts, but a team playing as well as the Rockies, with the young starting pitching—Roger Clemens showed the value of young pitching last weekend—a strong bullpen that includes two closers and one of baseball’s most powerful offense and the champagne could flow into the World Series for the Rockies.
A NLCS win would put another Wild Card team in the World Series, and would give way to a David vs. Goliath matchup, no matter the Rockies’ AL opponent.
Once again, because the National League can’t win an All-Star game, the Rockies would head on the road.
If the Red Sox break through to win their first pennant in three years, the Rockies will enjoy traveling northeast to Fenway. Holliday led the league in doubles and will enjoy hitting opposite field to toy with the Green Monster and Colorado will leave New England with at least a split in the first two games.
Moving onto to Coors against the Red Sox, would Boston dare to throw Dice-K and watch his “gyroball” swerve into the Rockpile? Or would the Sox put Wakefield on the mound and grimace as his knuckleball hangs in the thin air to the delight of Colorado’s hitters?
Certainly, Boston would love to throw Josh Beckett all seven games and they probably would win all seven, but, unfortunately for the Red Sox, they must throw the old man, Curt Schilling. In his last appearance at Coors in June, Curt “Shelling” allowed five earned in five innings. The Red Sox dropped two of three games in Denver, as the Rockies outscored Boston 20-5.
The biggest challenge to a completely successful Rocktober is Cleveland, the Indians, enters with a very good pitching staff—two 18-game winners in Carmona and Sabathia—and good hitting—Sizemore, Martinez and company.
This is where the big game experience will come in. The Rockies won 17 of 18 through the NLDS, including the two big wins to pull into a tie with the Padres to end the season, and then the dramatic play-in game against San Diego. The Indians cruised to the AL Central crown with no real competition below them, and faced a disappointing Yankees team.
Yet to face a challenge of their own—if the Indians survive their first test of the season—will be a first. And Cleveland would encounter one battled tested team.
Colorado’s ability to overcome odds is unmatched. Vegas set the odds of the Rockies winning the series at 100-1 to start the season, and entering the playoffs, they were the team with the worst odds.
ESPN and Sports Illustrated picked against them in the Phillies series, and in the week leading up to the playoffs, SI forgot to mention Colorado with their coverage of the playoff race. I’d say they missed the boat.
So hop on board the Rockies bandwagon, sit back and enjoy the wild Mile High ride, because it will culminate with plenty of flowing champagne.
Forget underdog story: Red Sox will cruise to victory
By Bob Bonett
It isn’t even fair that I get to argue why the Red Sox are going to win the World Series. As a matter of fact, it’s not even fun for me to write this article. It is nothing short of obvious that none of the three other mediocre teams have any shot at winning it all. Regardless, though, I’ll humor my counterparts with the reasons why in eight more games—yes, consisting of eight consecutive wins—the BoSox will be your MLB Champions.
First, let me take care of those putrid excuses for NL Championship Series participants. I know that for the most part, we are all aware that the Rockies and Diamondbacks aren’t even top-15 teams in the Majors. For some reason, though, certain people are disillusioned, and don’t realize that teams without pitching don’t win deep in the postseason—sorry, Rockies. Moreover, teams that are made up of young, free-swinging players don’t win deep in the playoffs—sorry, Diamondbacks. I’ll go out on a limb here, and say that if some way or another the Indians made the World Series, they would sweep the NL champs; that is how pathetic it is that the Mets aren’t in the playoffs. (Yes, I am still quite bitter.)
Let’s move to the team that really matters over in Cleveland. They made quick work of the Yankees, yes. They were the top seed in the tougher league. Plus, they have done it all without Pronk putting up crazy good numbers.
Couple pieces of bad news for Indians fans, though. First, CC Sabathia is nearing what seems like 400 innings pitched and is going to be approaching dead-arm status relatively soon, if not now. Second, the team that the Indians shellacked, the Yankees, featured a lineup so sapped with lefties that they have actually featured only one righty in their order on more than one occasion. Boston, meanwhile, has just two true lefties in David Ortiz and J.D. Drew. This presents some seriously bad news for the Indians pitching staff, as Sabathia and Rafael Perez, arguably the team’s two most effective pitchers, will see their effectiveness severely depleted against a heavy right-handed lineup.
The third and final piece of bad news for Indians is pretty simple; THEY ARE PLAYING THE RED SOX. Boston’s got huge bats, featuring Papi, Manny, Lowell, Youkilis, Crisp, even Jacoby Ellsbury. Their rotation is downright nasty with an ace on the mound every night for Boston in the playoffs—See: Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka. And finally, the bullpen, which has been criticized relentlessly since the end of the season, is actually the best relief corps in the majors. Eric Gagne is golden when he is on, Mike Timlin and Hideki Okajima are nearly untouchable (especially with a couple of days of rest under their belts)… even the back end of their bullpen is extremely impressive with Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez representing two mid-inning stalwarts. (And, mind you, I won’t even mention Jonathan Papelbon).
Yes, I know we all love Cinderella stories, and we all love to hate the favorites, and the underdog stories rule… that’s great and fun and cute. When you face reality, though, the Red Sox are so far and beyond their competition that this is going to be a quick, boring culmination to a long, exciting season.
Arms of the Indians will pitch Cleveland to championship
By Ed Morrone
Well, my first time experiencing October baseball in 14 years ended as most good things in my life do—abruptly and painfully. So now I’m forced—again—to root for a team not my own to win it all, and this season it’s a simple choice.
Despite the Phillies’ constant failures, figuring out postseason baseball has become easier and easier over the years. Quite simply, the team with the best pitching, OR the team that is receiving the best pitching at the time almost ALWAYS wins the World Series. Well, sports fans, it just so happens that this year one team boasts both of those elements, and that would be Chief Wahoo’s Cleveland Indians.
Yes, for the first time since 1948, the Indians will experience October nirvana and get to take home that nifty looking World Series trophy.
Let’s begin with that pitching. For starters, the Tribe has two of the best five starting pitchers alive in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. Last time we saw those two, Sabathia was knocking off the Yankees with ease despite not even being close to having his best stuff while Carmona followed by three-hitting the Yanks, making the Bombers look like more like Babies. With this 1-2 punch, think Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling in 2001, only younger and in the long run, maybe better. Throw in a supporting cast that features two more solid options (Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd, who made A-Rod look like the fraud that he is in the clinching game of the ALDS) as well as an anonymous bullpen full of guys that somehow get the job done.
And shall we not forget the Indians have an offense that single-handedly made two-time 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang look more like Adam Eaton. There’s leadoff man Grady Sizemore, who is a top 10 player that nobody seems to know about. After Grady and his many ladies, the Indians boast power (Travis Hafner), smart hitting (Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta) and a crew of young guys (Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez) and grizzled vets (Kenny Lofton, Trot Nixon) that will spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E for Boston.
Throw in the soon-to-be 2007 AL Manager of the Year Eric Wedge and you’ve got a team that nobody will be able to beat—nope, not even you, Colorado.
Yes, it is true that Boston has home field advantage, and there’s no doubt in anyone’s minds that their straight-from-Hades fans will be out in full force over the next 10 days to be more peskily annoying than mosquitoes. They’ve also got the only arm that’s throwing better than Cleveland’s two aces in Josh Beckett as well as a bunch of guys who know how to win in October from that unforgettable run they made in 2004. But don’t forget, J.D. Drew is still prominently involved here, so the Red Sox are most certainly up you-know-what creek without a paddle.
So far in this wild October, we’ve surely seen it all. In the NL, there’s the team that seemingly will not be denied (Rockies) that beat the other team the Mets certainly could not deny (Phillies), as well as the team nobody saw coming (Diamondbacks) that knocked off everybody’s favorite lovable losers (Cubs). On the other side of the baseball river, no longer involved are the team unsuccessfully fighting for their skipper’s career (Yankees) and yours
truly’s preseason favorite (Angels). Sure, the Red Sox look strong, but with the Patriots threatening to have Don Shula’s and his ’72 Dolphins pull out whatever hair it is they have left, well, enough is simply enough. Sorry, Beantown.
That only leaves one team left—the one, like Grady Sizemore, that nobody seems to want to notice. But as the Red Sox and probably the Rockies are soon to find out, this is one Tribe that will no longer go unnoticed.