MLB Playoff Picture 2010- National League Championship Series

by Mike Trovato

San Francisco Giants (92-7) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (97-65)

def. ATL 3-1 in NLDS def. CIN 3-0 in NLDS

San Francisco Giants
Offensively, the Giants weren't something to write home about against the Braves in the NLDS. Despite 3 RBI apiece from mid-season acquisitions Cody Ross and Pat Burrell, only Rookie of the Year candidate Buster Posey appeared totally locked in at the plate, going 6-for-16 (.375), the only Giant to hit above .300 for the series. As a small consolation, San Francisco did have the highest NL slugging percentage in round one. a less-than-stellar .295. But then again, no National League team has hit a lick in this year's playoffs, and in a series dominated by pitching, the Giants 11 runs in four games was still enough to knock off Bobby Cox's Atlanta Braves.

Yet, despite the best collective pitching performance by any team in the postseason, the Giants young guns have been overshadowed amidst all the talk about no hitters and whatnot. So here's some recognition: The San Francisco Giants starting pitching is the best in the 2010 playoffs thus far; their miniscule 0.93 ERA and 11.17 strikeouts per inning ratio rank first among all playoff teams through one round of competition.

Still, no one seems to be talking very much about them, at least not in terms of them being a serious contender. Tim Lincecum's 14 strikeouts in his complete game two-hit shutout was about as good a performance as you will see, no-no's aside. At least that got some chatter; Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez truly got a raw deal. Cain threw 6.2 scoreless innings in Game 3 on the heels of Sanchez' gem. Sanchez fanned 11 in 7.1 innings in Game 2, and he too allowed just two hits, though he did allow one whole run to score.

Say what you want about "H20," but here's one better- Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez abbreviated is LCS, granted, Madison Bumgarner doesn't fit into any acronyms... Joking aside, yes, give credit where it is due to H20, as it is an incredible 1-2-3 tandem. However, one through four, no team has it better right now than San Francisco. Consider that with an average age of the four starters being a peach fuzzy 24.5 years, the Giants have a legitimate, stone cold quartet of starting pitching capable of unbelievable things in the future, and the future could very well be right now.


Philadelphia Phillies
Three is a significant number when it comes to cliches about luck like, "third time's a charm" or three-leaf clovers. For the Philadelphia Phillies, good things seem to come in threes. Presently, the Phils are relying their three top-notch starting pitchers to get them to their third consecutive World Series. In their case, however, luck may not even be necessary.

Roy Halladay has gotten himself acquainted with life in the playoffs quite nicely, although as good as he is, I think he walks one two many batters... Honestly though, what more can you say about a postseason no hitter? Now, I don't consider myself an expert on things of this nature, but come the 7th inning, there was no question about it, it was going to happen. It wasn't one of those "hush hush," let's not jinx this kind of deals. It was unjinxable. Halladay didn't just silence the Reds' bats, he killed more bats than PETA would allow in the literal sense. It was masterful, the single-handed most mechanically methodical manhandlings of a lineup I have ever seen. When all was said and done, Hallday's no hitter essentially marked the only one-game series in playoff history.

What Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels did from that point on was merely a formality. Hamels was brilliant, though his sweep-clinching complete game shutout paled in comparison to the aforementioned Halladay. Oswalt in the middle wasn't great, but he didn't really need to be. The series, for all intents and purposes, ended in Game 1.

Analysis
This may be one of the most intriguing series there could be to pick for, and here's why. Offensively, the difference between the Giants and the Phillies is significant; the Phillies are vastly superior to San Francisco at the plate. However, the progression of pitching matchups is so phenomenal that it's mind-boggling: Lincecum vs. Halladay; Sanchez vs. Oswalt; Hamels vs. Cain. When it comes down to it, this has the potential to be one of the lowest scoring Championship Series of all-time.

With such tight matchups through Game 3, two things come to the forefront becoming exponentially more critical, the Game 4 starters and the bullpens. The Giants clearest edge lies in Game 4, as they are expected to throw Madison Bumgarner against Joe Blanton. While that would likely change if one team is up 3-0, I don't anticipate that being the case.

As far as relief pitching goes, in limited work the Philly bullpen was technically better, but the sample size for the two 'pens is quite small. Collectively, the Phillies (4 IP) and Giants (9 IP) bullpens amassed just 13 innings, with Charlie Manuel's relievers nibbling at the scraps of 4 innings thrown to them in Game 2. The Giants bullpen has been elite, particularly during the final month of the season, but the caveat here is not to compare the two bullpens to each other, but to the respective lineups they will face. The Philadelphia relievers won't have to face the likes of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth on the limited occasions they will be needed. In that regard, the Phillies have the edge.

Prediction
If there's one team equipped to match up against such a juggernaut offense in a best of seven series, I'd have to say it's the Giants. Lincecum certainly has the tools to at the very least not split two head-to-head decisions with "Mr. Doctober." With the luxury of Madison Bumgarner in Game 4, the Giants won't need anyone a third time around, and can very well roll with their top 3 for as long as they will take them. Although that could be 9 strong, logic still dictates that inevitably the bullpens will be called upon, and when that time comes, the Phillies offense stacks up better against the Giants than the Giants bats against the Phillies.

It seems too easy to go ahead and pick another Yankees-Phillies World Series showdown, seeing how both teams are the favorites. It seems that all the Phillies need to do is score first, and they can turn on the cruise control from that point on. I know it won't be that simple, and the Giants will put up a fight. But as much as I'd like to pick the upset here, my gut won't allow it, and I can't justify calling the upset just for the sake of calling it. When it's too close to call, you go with the better team. In my heart of hearts, I know that when it comes down to it, the Phillies are the better team.

Phillies defeat Giants, 4 games to 3

MLB Playoff Picture 2010- American League Championship Series

by Mike Trovato

American League Championship Series

New York Yankees (5-67) vs. Texas Rangers (90-72)

def. MIN 3-0 in ALDS def. TB 3-2 in ALDS

Texas Rangers
For a team known better for its offense during the regular season, the Texas Rangers pitching has been a pleasant surprise during the 2010 postseason thus far. The mid-season acquisition of Cliff Lee was clearly made with October (and November) in mind. As much as he struggled during the second half of the regular season, come October, Lee delivers. Leading a talented staff of young arms, the southpaw continued his postseason dominance in the ALDS, mowing through the Tampa Bay Rays lineup. Lee compiled an incredible 21 strikeouts to no walks (that's right, no walks), to the tune of a 1.14 ERA. Manager Ron Washington will turn to Lee in Game 3, again on the road, as he won both starts in Tampa Bay.

As for the offense, the Rangers clobbered 8 home runs in the first round, led by Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler's 3 apiece, and with little help from their MVP candidate Josh Hamilton. Hamilton clearly showed signs of rust against Tampa Bay, having missed 24 straight games with a rib injury in September. The Rangers were the beneficiary of 5 Rays fielding errors in round one, taking advantage of the miscues with aggressive and alert base running. The Yankees, however, are much better defensively, having made no errors in their sweep of Minnesota. Therefore, Texas will need more production from the bats of Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero and Michael Young if they intend to compete; the talented trio went a combined 10-for-57 (.175 BA) against the Rays in the ALDS.

New York Yankees
The reigning World Champions continued their ownership of the Twins, completing yet another playoff sweep in extending their playoff streak against Minnesota to 9 games. Last year's stars (Jeter, Cano, Teixeira, A-Rod and Swisher) did their job in the ALDS, but it was new Yankees Curtis Granderson and Lance Berkman who stepped up big. In just 11 at-bats, the "Grandy Man" knocked 5 hits and drove in 3 runs, while Berkman went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, the second of which gave New York the go-ahead run in Game 2.

The Yankees bats did as much to produce runs as their pitching did to prevent them, as the Bombers outscored the Twins 17-7 in the series. Ace C.C. Sabathia actually had the worst outing of the three Yankee starters, surrendering 4 runs in Game 1. Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes tossed 7 innings apiece, Hughes doing so while shutting out the already suffocating Twins offense in the clinching Game 3. The bullpen was just as spectacular, as Kerry Wood allowed the lone run given up by Yankees relief. As usual, Mariano Rivera closed the door for the final two wins.


Analysis
The common perception seems to be that Texas is at a disadvantage before even stepping on the field, as Cliff Lee won't pitch until Game 3. However, the Rangers playoff rotation posted a 1.17 ERA, and although those numbers are somewhat Lee-heavy, neither C.J. Wilson nor Colby Lewis allowed a run in their respective LDS starts. While matching up against Sabathia is no easy task for C.J. Wilson, C.C. wasn't exactly sharp pitching on 7 days rest in Minnesota, and now he will go on 8 days rest to kick off the ALCS. Needless to say, Wilson stands a fighting chance, and if he delivers, the Rangers could very well find themselves up 2-1 after Lee's start on Monday, and heading into a matchup with the erratic A.J. Burnett in Game 4.

Bengie Molina will need to squeeze everything he can out of those young arms with his pitch calling behind the plate. Conversely, the Yankees must strive to reach the Rangers bullpen. Should New York successfully drive the Rangers young starters out of Games 1 and 2 early, that could spell trouble for Texas. The Rangers bullpen performance against Tampa Bay was a stark contrast to that of its starting pitching. In 13.1 innings of work, Texas "relief" was anything but, allowing 21 base runners (16 hits, 5 walks), of which 8 crossed home plate, for a bloated 5.27 ERA.

Texas must get on base at a much higher rate, as the Yankees team batting average (.314) was higher than the Rangers team on-base percentage (.286) in round one. Given New York's flawless defense, getting on base by their own production is a must for Texas. The Rangers offense will be their best defense, and the longer they can hold off from using their bullpen, the better.

Prediction
The Rangers are certainly capable of putting up a fight, and with A.J. Burnett going in Game 4, Game 1 could prove pivotal, because the last thing the Yankees want is for this series to go 7, where they would likely draw Cliff Lee. Still, if there's one thing the Yankees do well, it's running up the pitch counts, which easily could be the difference maker in the outcome in this series. Wilson, Lewis and Tommy Hunter all surpassed their previous innings pitched totals this season, and Wilson (+137.0 IP) and Lewis (+79.0 IP) shattered their previous single-season highs. That said, Ron Washington may very well be forced to rely on a bullpen that blew up against a scuffling Rays lineup that in no way matches the potency of the lineup Joe Girardi will field.

Yankees defeat Rangers, 4 games to 2