Philadelphia Phillies
Yankees Top Angels 5-2, Advance to 2009 World Series
Monday, October 26th, 2009 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports | No Comments
The World Series is finally back in New York. The Yankees defeated the Angels 5-2 on Sunday night to advance to their 40th World Series in franchise history. If the Yankees can defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 Fall Classic, it will be the Yankees 27th World Championship.
Andy Pettitte pitched a solid game in Game 6 of the ALCS – 1 ER on 7 hits and 1 walk in 6 1/3 innings pitched. Pettitte struck out 6 Angels batters and he won his 16th career post-season game – a major league record. Joba Chamberlain retired the only 2 batters he faced in the 7th inning to get Pettitte and the Yankees out of a “mini” 1-out, 1-on “jam” to preserve the Yankees 3-1 lead. And Mariano Rivera came on for his “typical” 6-out save, although he did give up a run on 2 singles to Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero in the 8th inning. But Rivera worked a perfect 1-2-3 9th inning, striking out Gary Matthews, Jr. to end the game and send the Yankees faithful into a tizzy.
After falling behind 1-0 on a Bobby Abreu RBI single in the 3rd inning, the Yankees rallied to take the lead for good with 3 runs in the 4th inning. Two walks and a single from a patient Yankees lineup loaded the bases with just 1 out. Johnny Damon delivered a clutch 2-run single to left, and then after a Mark Teixeira single loaded the bases again, Angels starter Joe Saunders walked Alex Rodriguez to force in a run. Just like that, the Yankees led 3-1 and they could taste another AL pennant. When the Angels cut the Yankees lead to 3-2 with a run off Rivera in the 8th inning, the Yankees answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Robinson Cano led off with another walk just like he did in the 4th inning. Then the Angels defense deserted them again. Nick Swisher reached on a Howie Kendrick error and then Scott Kazmir threw away Melky Cabrera’s sacrifice bunt allowing Cano to score from 2nd base. The Yankees had 2nd and 3rd with nobody out and after a Derek Jeter ground out and a Damon walk, Teixeira drove in the game’s final run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.
Yankees 5, Angels 2. Game over…
The Yankees will host the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night. The $201 million payroll – the largest in all of baseball – finally delivered a shot at a World Series to George Steinbrenner and the Yankee brass – it has been 6 years since the Yankees have played in the Fall Classic. Alex Rodriguez – in his 16-year MLB career – is finally going to get to play in his 1st World Series. After struggling in his post-season performance to date, A-Rod delivered in 2009 – .438 batting average, 5 home runs and 12 RBI’s in the Yankees 9 playoffs games in 2009. CC Sabathia – the Yankees high-priced ace – will square off against his former Cleveland Indians teammate Cliff Lee on Wednesday night. Both pitchers have been “lights-out during the playoff in 2009. Sabathia is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in 3 starts (3 ER, 20 K’s and 3 walks in 22 2/3 innings pitched). Lee is 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in 3 starts (2 ER, 20 K’s and 3 walks in 24 1/3 innings pitched). Should be a classic battle – wouldn’t it be great to see these 2 duke it out in Games 1, 4 and 7?! Can’t wait. We’ll have our predictions over the next 2 days leading up to Wednesday’s contest.
Maybe it isn’t over just yet?! Angels Prolong ALCS with Thrilling 7-6 Win over Yankees
Friday, October 23rd, 2009 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports | No Comments
Talk about a gutsy performance – I was shocked (on so many different levels) to see the Angels defeat the Yankees 7-6 to push the ALCS back to the Bronx for Game 6 on Saturday night.
First: I could not believe how the Angels jumped out to a 4-0 lead before even recording their 1st out in the 1st inning. Torii Hunter’s big 2-run single seemed to relax the rest of the team and electrify the Angels fans. The place went nuts, and when Vladimir Guerrero and Kendry Morales got hits to drive in 2 more runs, I thought I was back on the east coast in Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium. That set the tone for what looked to be an easy Angels win.
Second: But then it all went wrong in the 7th inning. John Lackey, who had allowed just 5 hits to the Yankees through 6 innings, seemed to implode. After Lackey got the 1st out, he gave up a double to Melky Cabrera. Lackey thought he had struck out Jorge Posada, but the home plate umpire called the 3-2 pitch a ball – instead of man on 2nd 2 outs, it was now 1st and 2nd with just 1 out. Lackey lost all focus when he walked Derek Jeter to load the bases, and even after he got the 2nd out of the inning on a Johnny Damon fly out, Manager Mike Scioscia opted to go with a lefty reliever – Darren Oliver – to turn Mark Teixeira around to his “weaker” right side of the plate. Teixeira ended up delivering a 3-run double that cut the Angels lead to 1. After intentionally walking Alex Rodriguez, Oliver served up a Hideki Matsui run-scoring single that tied the game at 4. The Angels still had a chance to get out of the inning all even, but another Scioscia move backfired when K Jepsen gave up a rocket triple to Robinson Cano that brought home 2 runs to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead. You could have heard a pin drop in the stadium as the Yankees players were going nuts in their dugout. Game over, right? No way the Angels could rebound from this disaster – they would go quietly with their final 9 outs and the Yankees would advance to yet another World Series to take on the Philadelphia Phillies who had already disposed of the Los Angeles Dodgers in ho-hum 5-game NLCS for the 2nd year in a row.
Third: A.J. Burnett has settled down after his awful 1st inning, but he let 2 Angels reach base to start the bottom of the 7th inning, and it was Manager Joe Girardi’s turn to remove his starter for a bad reliever. Damaso Marte gave up a sacrifice to Chone Figgins and then got Bobby Abreu to ground out for the 2nd run of the inning. The Angels scored a run to cut the lead to 6-5, but there 2 outs and Phil Hughes could get that final out for the Yankees. Think again… Hughes promptly walked Torii Hunter to put the go-ahead run on base. Then he gave up Vladimir Guerrero’s game-tying single that scored Erick Aybar. Kendry Morales then drove in Hunter with the go-ahead run to give the Angels a 7-6 lead, but would it be enough.
Fourth: Brian Fuentes had blown a save before in the series – on A-Rod’s solo home run way back in the 11th inning of Game 2 that the Yankees ultimately won in 13 innings. Fuentes had to go through the heart of the Yankees order 2-3-4 to record the save. But the baseball gods wouldn’t let the Angels get this far just to have Fuentes blow it, would they?! Well Fuentes sure made it interesting, even after he recorded the 1st 2 outs of the inning. Fuentes then intentionally walked A-Rod – great move Scioscia (seriously!) – but then he walked Matsui and hit Cano to load the bases. What in the hell is going on here? Here we go again – another come-from-behind win for the Yankees as we are forced to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver get all goo-goo over how good the Yankees are at erasing leads late in games. But my prayers were answered – Fuentes got Nick Swisher to pop out to left field and the Angels lived to see another day.
And I get another day (2 actually) to hope that the Yankees somehow blow this 3 games to 1 lead over the Angels to let the Angels battle the Phillies in the 2009 World Series. Gotta love October baseball…
Phillies Reach World Series with 4-1 Series Win over Dodgers in NLCS
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | Andre Ethier, Brad Lidge, Charlie Manuel, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Jayson Werth, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Sports | No Comments
For the 2nd straight post-season, it took just 5 games for the Phillies to eliminate the Dodgers from October playoffs in a dominating NLCS victory. Overcoming another poor start from Cole Hamels (4 1/3 innings, 3 ER on 5 hits and 1 walk), the Phillies scored early and often to make it clear that they intended to defend their World Series title all the way to the end.
Jayson Werth led the Phillies offense – Werth’s 2-out, 3-run home run in the 1st inning gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead after Andre Ethier had put the Dodgers on the board 1st with his solo home run. It was a great answer for the Phillies who quickly showed that they would not be denied. Werth added a solo shot in the 7th inning and finished the night with crazy numbers – 3 for 4, 4 RBI’s and 3 runs scored. Not bad, especially against his former team. Shane Victorino also had a solid night in the win – 2 hits, including a 2-run HR in the 6th inning, with 3 RBI’s and 1 run scored.
The only negative was the starting pitching off Hamels. Hamels made it into the 5th inning with a 6-2 lead, but after giving up a solo HR to pinch-hitter Orlando Hudson and a 1-out double to Rafael Furcal, Manager Charlie Manuel did not want to take any chances. Manuel pulled Hamels for J.A. Happ and later Chad Durbin who got the Phillies out of the jam unscathed, still leading 6-3. Manuel was forced to use 5 relievers, but knowing that if they won they would have a week of rest before the World Series started on Wednesday, October 28th, he wasn’t too concerned. Brad Lidge even closed out the 9th inning in perfect fashion with 1 strike out. Manuel should be feeling good about Lidge right now – in 5 playoff appearances this October (4 innings), Lidge has given up just 1 hit and 3 walks and no runs period. He has saved 3 games and won 1 game and looks to have regained that form that makes him one of the more dominating closers in baseball. Assuming the New York Yankees close out their ALCS against the Angels, it will be interesting to see how Lidge handles a World Series save situation in front of thousands of screaming fans in the Bronx – should be fun to watch.
The Phillies major concern should be starting pitching after Cliff Lee. Hamels continues to struggle and who knows how Pedro Martinez or Joe Blanton will fare against a solid Yankees lineup. The Phillies have been there before though, and their lineup is so deep and good, a Phillies-Yankees World Series should be fun to watch…
5-4 Walk-Off Wins in Each League Championship Game on Monday
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 | Alex Rodriguez, Alfredo Aceves, Andy Pettitte, Carlos Ruiz, Casey Blake, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Derek Jeter, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis, Jimmy Rollins, Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, Jonathan Braxton, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Macier Izturis, Matt Stairs, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Sports, Vladimir Geurrero | No Comments
MLB has gotta be loving this – two walk-off wins for the home team; two 5-4 scores; one series just about done and the other heating up. I live for October baseball!
I am most excited about the Angels rallying to beat the Yankees 5-4 in 11 innings on Monday afternoon. The Angels had struggled all game against Andy Pettitte as the Yankees built a 3-0 lead on solo homers from Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon. Despite blowing some chances early, the Angels hung in there. They cut the Yankees lead to 3-1 on Howie Kendrick’s HR in the 5th inning (that was the 1st home run given up by a Yankees pitcher in the playoffs this year) and then tied it up on Vladimir Guerrero’s 2-run bomb to left in the 6th inning. And after Manager Joe Girardi pulled Pettitte with 1 out in the 7th inning, the Angels immediately capitalized with a triple by Kendrick and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Macier Izturis off Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain. Just like that the Angels had a 4-3 lead and needed only 6 outs to get the series back in their favor. Jorge Posada’s solo home run to center field put a slight damper on the Angels’ celebration, but the Angels gutted it out in the bottom of the 11th inning. Girardi’s “over-managing” could be called into question with his decision to pull David Robertson (who had recorded the 1st 2 outs of the inning) for Alfredo Aceves. Kendrick came through in the clutch with a single to center field and Jeff Mathis ended the game with a walk-off, 2-out RBI double to deep left field that plated Kendrick with the winning-run. Props go to Kendrick for winning the game for the Angels on Monday. On his triple in the 7th inning, Kendrick hustled right out of the box to get all the way to 3rd base with only 1 out. And in the 11th, even though there was 2 out, Kendrick’s speed enabled him to score all the way from 1st on Mathis’ double.
The win breathes new life into the Angels, and Girardi’s decision to go with a 3-man rotation in the ALCS will be in the spotlight tonight as CC Sabathia gets the nod in Game 4 on only 3 days rest. Sabathia pitched well on 3 days rest for the Brewers in 2008 (2-1, 0.83 ERA), but if he has an off-night, look for the critics to hand Girardi out to dry post-game. Scott Kazmir has had a lot of success against the Yankees (6-5 record and 2.66 ERA in 14 career starts), so it should be a great game to watch on Tuesday night.
The NLCS game was also a back and forth game – a 1st inning Ryan Howard home run gave the Phillies an early 2-0 lead. But then the Dodgers answered with 4 runs during the 4th through 6th innings on RBI singles by James Loney, Russell Martin and Casey Blake and a solo home run by Matt Kemp. After a Chase Utley RBI single cut the Dodgers lead to 4-3 in the 6th inning, it looked like the Dodgers would even the series as closer Jonathan Broxton entered the game in the 9th inning. Broxton (who had converted 36 of 42 save chances with a 2.61 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, but struggled on the road with an 5.81 ERA) even got lead-off hitter Raul Ibanez out, but laid an egg by pitching around Matt Stairs (Stairs had homered off of Broxton in the NLCS in 2008) and allowing him to reach on a walk. Broxton made matters worse by plunking Carlos Ruiz to give the Phillies 1st and 2nd with only 2 outs. Broxton got Gregg Dobbs to line out to 3rd base, but Jimmy Rollins crushed a 99-MPh fastball to deep center field that plated both Eric Bruntlett (pinch-runner for Stairs) and Ruiz with the winning runs. Just like that, the Phillies had a walk-off win to take a 3-1 series lead. The Dodgers have a huge obstacle to overcome. They face Cole Hamels on Wednesday in Game 5 and if they are luck enough to win that one, they will have to beat Cliff Lee in Game 6 in Los Angeles just to get to a Game 7. It’s not looking good for the Dodgers…
Enjoy MLB playoffs action tonight!
Cliff Lee, Bats Propel Phillies to Easy 11-0 Laugher over Dodgers
Monday, October 19th, 2009 | Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Sports | No Comments
Ugly – I think that’s the best word to describe it. The Phillies crushed the Dodgers 11-0 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the 2009 NLCS.
Dodgers Manager Joe Torre didn’t have Hiroki Kuroda available for the NLDS against the Cardinals because of an injury and he made a bold move by adding Kuroda to the NLCS roster against the Phillies. Kuroda had had a solid year – 20 starts, 8 wins, 3.76 ERA and 1.14 WHIP – and had even stymied the Phillies back on June – 2 hits and 3 walks in 6 scoreless innings of a 3-2 Dodgers win in L.A. But Torre calculated wrong big time in this situation. Kuroda barely got out of the 1st inning, and didn’t last much longer in the 2nd inning, as he gave up 6 runs – all earned – on 6 hits, the big one being a 2-run HR by Jayson Werth to cap-off a 4-run 1st inning.
And with Cliff Lee on the mound for the Phillies, the game was pretty much over after Ryan Howard’s triple plated 2 runs ahead of Werth’s HR to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Lee was as dominant as ever – 8 innings pitched, 3 hits, no walks and 10 K’s. 114 effective and efficient pitches, and just like that Lee kept his spectacular regular season going with another solid post-season start. In 3 October playoff starts, Lee has given up just 2 ER (4 total) in 24 1/3 innings pitched. Throw in just 14 hits and 3 walks against 20 K’s and you are looking at the hottest playoff pitcher in baseball right now.
The Phillies bats stepped up to the plate as well. After the 4-run 1st inning, the Phillies continued to pund away at Kuroda with 2 more runs in the 2nd inning on a Jimmy Rollins double and a Ryan Howard RBI groundout. The Phillies tacked on 2 more insurance runs in the 5th inning on a Pedro Feliz run-scoring triple and a Carlos Ruiz RBI single. And the Phillies capped off their scoring in the bottom of the 8th inning on Shane Victorino’s 3-run bomb to deep right field. All in all, the Phillies scored 11 runs on 11 hits and 7 walks against 5 Dodgers pitchers. Victorino, Chase Utley and Ruiz each had 2 hits, while Victorino and Howard each had 3 RBI’s.
Game 3 starts tonite at 8:07PM EST on TBs. Randy Wolf will toe the rubber for the Dodgers while Joe Blanton will look to give the Phillies a commanding 3-1 series lead and a chance to close out the series at home in Game 5 on Wednesday night…
Martinez, Padilla Dominate as Dodgers Top Phillies 2-1 to Even Series
Saturday, October 17th, 2009 | Andre Ethier, Charlie Manuel, Chase Utley, Jonathan Braxton, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Madson, Sports, Vincente Padilla | No Comments
I was shocked – in a good way – with the starting pitching that I saw from Pedro Martinez and Vincente Padilla in Game 2 of the NLCS on Friday afternoon.
The Phillies Martinez – who had not pitched in a post-season game in 5 years – threw 7 scoreless innings giving up just 2 hits and no walks while striking out 3. Martinez was in line for the win when he left the game with a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Ryan Howard home run in the 4th inning.
The Dodgers Vincente Padilla was almost as good despite having a 4.46 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP during the 2009 MLB schedule. Padilla threw 7 1/3 innings, giving up just 1 ER on 4 hits and 1 walk with 6 K’s. Padilla defeated the Cards in Game 3 of the NLDS and he has given up just 1 ER and 8 hits in 14 1/3 post-season innings this October.
Pretty crazy stuff for some veteran pitchers.
The game turned against the Phillies in the bottom of the 8th inning. After an infield single and a bunt single, the Dodgers tied the game at 1 on Chase Utley’s fielding error that allowed Juan Pierre to score from 2nd base. After a Jim Thome pinch-hit single, Ryan Madsen entered the game and walked Rafael Furcal to load the bases. But Madsen struck out Matt Kemp to keep the game tied at 1 with Chase Utley coming to bat. Manager Charlie Manuel opted to go with lefty J.A. Happ to face left-handed hitting Andre Ethier. But the move backfired as Ethier drew the 2-out bases loaded walk to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Jonathan Broxton worked a perfect 9th inning against the top of the Phillies lineup to preserve the 2-1 lead and even the NLCS at 1 game apiece. The 2 teams resume the series on Sunday night in Philadelphia. Cliff Lee takes the bump for the Phillies against Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers.
Phillies Deliver Knock Out Punch – Take Game 1 over Dodgers 8-6
Friday, October 16th, 2009 | Brad Lidge, Carlos Ruiz, Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Raul Ibanez, Sports | No Comments
The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 8-6 in Game 1 of the NLCS to take a 1-0 lead in the best of 7 series – home field advantage right back to Philly. For the 1st 4 innings, it looked like we were going to have a pitcher’s duel between Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw. Up until that point, the Dodgers led the Phillies 1-0 with the lone run scoring on a solo home run by James Loney in the 2nd inning.
But with the 5th inning came an explosion of offense – - Carlos Ruiz’s 3-run bomb to deep left gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead and Ryan Howard’s 2-run double increased that lead to 5-1.
But the Dodgers answered right back in the bottom of the inning with 3 runs of their own – 1 run on Andre Ethier’s RBI groundout and 2 runs on Manny Ramirez’s 2-run bomb to deep left center. 5-4 Phillies on top.
It looked like the Phillies had put the game away for good in the top of the 8th inning when Raul Ibanez’s 3-run HR gave the Phillies an 8-4 lead. But the Dodgers answered in the bottom of the inning with 2 runs on a Russell Martin RBI single and a Rafael Furcal sacrifice fly.
Give some props to Brad Lidge for closing out the game in the 9th inning. We only know about Lidge’s struggles in 2009 – 0-8 record, 7.21 ERA, 31 saves but 11 blown saves. But after a lead-off single by Matt Kemp, Lidge induced a Casey Blake double play to pick up 2 quick outs. And even after a James Loney walk, Lidge buckled down and got Ronnie Belliard to pop out to end the game. Despite shaken confidence during the regular season, Lidge has earned the save in 3 of the 4 Phillies wins in the 2009 post-season, and he has yet to give up a run in 2 1/3 innings pitched.
Hamels notched the win, despite giving up 4 ER on 8 hits and 1 walk in 5 1/3 innings. Kershaw struggled with his control too much on Thursday night – walking 5 and giving up 5 ER on 4 hits without even making it out of the 5th inning.
The 2 teams won’t have much time to dwell on Game 1, as they square off in Game 2 at 4:07PM EST today on TBS. Pedro Martinez will take the bump for the Phillies against Vincent Padilla of the Dodgers. It will mark Martinez’s 1st post-season start since he won a World Series game for the Boston Red Sox back in 2004. It becomes a must-win for the Dodgers who do not want to go down 2-0 to the Phillies having to face ace Cliff Lee in Game 3 back in Philadelphia on Sunday…
NLCS Starts Tonight – Hamels, Phillies v. Kershaw, Dodgers
Thursday, October 15th, 2009 | Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels, Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports | No Comments
It will be a rematch between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2009 NLCS that begins tonight in Los Angeles. It is only the 3rd time in almost 20 years that we have seen the same 2 teams in back-to-back NLCS series – the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals played against each other in 2004 and 2005, and the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates did the same back in 1991 and 1992. MLB Playoff tickets will surely be tough to get a hold of with an epic re-match like this one.
This time, however, the Dodgers have home field advantage and that can go a long way as the Phillies showed in 2008. After taking the 1st 2 games of the 2008 NLCS in Philadelphia, the Phillies were able to close out the series in just 5 games without having to return home. The Phillies are looking to become the 1st World Series repeat champions since the New York Yankees won 3 in a row did so from 1998-200. The Yankees manager during that phenomenal streak? You got it – current Dodgers skipper Joe Torre.
Torre has decided to go with 21-year old Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 tonight. Kershaw will be the 3rd youngest starting pitcher in the MLB post-season history. Kershaw clearly has what it takes – in the Dodgers division-clinching win over the Rockies on the 2nd to last day of the regular season, Kershaw pitched 6 scoreless innings giving up just 3 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 10. In Game 2 of the NLDS against the Cardinals, Kershaw went pitch-for-pitch with Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, giving up just 2 ER on 9 hits over 6 2/3 innings. He kept the Dodgers in the game, one which they eventually won in the bottom of the 9th inning.
The Phillies will counter with Cole Hamels who was instrumental in bringing the World Series rings to Philly last season. Hamels has not had the type of season to which he is accustomed (10-11, 4.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), but he can still be a dominating pitcher. He suffered the Phillies only loss in the NLDS against the Rockies, giving up 4 ER on 7 hits in just 5 innings of work in Game 2. Hamels is hoping he can turn it around against the Dodgers in NLCS Game 1 tonight.
Catch it all tonight at 8:07PM EST on TBS.
Sweep Central – 3 ALDS Teams Advance with Weekend Sweeps
Monday, October 12th, 2009 | Boston Red Sox, General, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, St. Louis Cardinals | No Comments
It was an anti-climatic 1st round of the playoffs – with 3 teams advancing with sweeps over the weekend. Although there were some good games in each series, each team advanced with a Game 3 win on the losing team’s home turf over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Dodgers took out the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-1 win in St. Louis. It was the 2nd year in a row that the Dodgers swept the NL Central division winner out of the playoffs in the NLDS (Chicago Cubs in 2008). The Dodgers will either play the Phillies in a rematch of the 2008 NLCS or the Colorado Rockies. Key game – the Dodgers rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 2 to defeat closer Ryan Franklin after Matt Holliday’s botched flyball error kept the game alive.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim stunned the Red Sox faithful with a 3-run rally off Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the 9th inning. The Angels trailed 5-1 heading into the 8th inning, but scored 2 runs in the 8th and 3 runs in the 9th inning to complete the sweep. The Angels will face the New York Yankees in the ALCS in the Bronx on Friday night. Key stat – Papelbon had never allowed a single run in 27 career post-season innings.
And on Sunday evening, the Yankees completed the 3-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome with a 4-1 win. Some long-time Yankees were instrumental in the Game 3 win – Andy Pettite picked up the win, Mariano Rivera recorded the save, and Jorge Posada clubbed a solo home run in the 7th inning to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Key Game – in Game 2, Alex Rodriguez crushed a 2-run HR to deep right center field off of Twins’ closer Joe Nathan in the 9th inning to tie the game at 3. Mark Teixeira went on to win the game for the game for the Yankees with his line drive walk-off HR to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning.
Stay tuned for some more great MLB playoff action…
Brad Lidge – - A Tale of 2 Seasons
Saturday, September 19th, 2009 | Brad Lidge, Charlie Manuel, General, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Madson, Sports | 1 Comment
The following is almost incomprehensible – how bad has Brad Lidge fallen – he has gone from perfect to downright awful. In 2008, Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge appeared in 72 games and saved 41 games in 41 chances. That’s right, Lidge did not blow a single save opportunity in 2008 and he helped lead the Phillies to the World Series title in October 2008. His numbers looked like this – 2-0 record; 1.95 ERA; 1.23 WHIP; 92 K’s; & 35 walks.
Flash forward to 2009. This is shocking – Lidge has saved 30 games, but he has blown 10 save chances throughout the course of the 2009 MLB schedule – yes 10 blown saves! How can this be? Lidge is 0-7 in 2008. He has a 7.21 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. Lidge has walked 32 and struck out only 56. Lidge was recently demoted for a few days to try to clear his head, but Manager Charlie Manuel let him close in his last 2 appearances. On 9/13, Lidge entered the game against the Mets with the Phillies leading 5-2. Lidge got the save but he gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in the process as the Phillies held on for the 5-4 win. On 9/17, Lidge entered the game against the Nationals with the Phillies leading 4-1. Lidge got the save again, but once again he gave up another earned run. What is the deal?
Lidge has gone through this transformation before. In 2005 and 2006, Lidge was lights out for the Houston Astros – 42 saves against 4 blown saves in 2005 & 32 saves against 6 blown saves in 2006. But he struggled mightily in 2007 in his last season with the Astros – only 19 saves with 8 blown saves. Ouch… Lidge seemed to find the magic touch last year in his 1st stint with the Phillies, but he has lost his confidence again in 2009.
A closer has saved 30 games with an ERA over 6.00 only once in the history of Major League Baseball. That occurred in 2004 when Shawn Chacon saved over 35 games for the Colorado Rockies with a 1-9 record and a hefty 7.11 ERA.
Not sure Manuel is going to do come playoff time. Manuel called on Ryan Madson to close during Lidge’s “rest period” and Madson saved 4 of the 5 games he entered in save situations. In any event, we will likely see some interesting Brad Lidge stat lines during the next 2 weeks and in the playoffs…
Categories
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Oct | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
