World Series Game 3: At Home On The Range

The Texas Rangers did what they had to do to stay alive in this World Series: They won Game 3 on the back of starter Colby Lewis by a score of 4-2. Lewis, who was an unofficial MVP of the ALCS with his two wins over the Yankees, including the decisive Game 6, came up big again last night, playing the role of stopper. He shut out the suddenly-potent Giants offense for 6 innings before giving up solo shots in the 7th and 8th. On the Rangers' part, they have rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland for a 3-run blast in the 2nd and Josh Hamilton for a solo dinger in the 5th. By winning Game 3, the Rangers have ensured the World Series will go at least 5 games.

For Game 4, the Rangers have a huge decision to make: Start Tommy Hunter, who struggled in the ALCS , and risk going down 3 games to 1 or start Cliff Lee on short rest and hope he pitches better than he did in Game 1. On the Giants' part, Madison Bumgarner has proven he can pitch in the post-season, but their big decision is what to do with the scuffling Pat Burrell, who earned the dubious honor of a Golden Sombrero in last night's game after whiffing 4 times.

I'll be out of town for the rest of the series, so I'll have to catch (and blog) whatever I can of it. May the best team win!

Wake does Roberto Clemente proud

Yesterday, before World Series Game 2 began, Tim Wakefield was honored as the 2010 recipient of the Roberto Clemente award in recognition of his service to the Boston community and the community in Florida that he calls home. Roberto Clemente, born in Puerto Rico, was a star outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1972. His life and career were cut short in a plane crash on December 31, 1972--he was on the plane to ensure that aid packages were delivered to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. Previous packages had fallen into the wrong hands and Clemente wanted to make sure that did not happen again. Tragically, the overloaded plane went down in the ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico and Clemente's body was never found.

Wakefield began his career with the same organization that Clemente played for in his illustrious 18-year career. He made a promise to a failing early-intervention school in Florida that if he made it to the big leagues, he would help them remain open. He made good on that promise and has been involved with the school ever since. He has also supported the Franciscan Children's Hospital in Boston and hosts an annual charity golf tournament. He's been nominated for the Clemente award eight times before winning this year. It's a well-deserved honor and he does Clemente's legacy proud.

World Series Game 2: A Giant Merry-Go-Round

It seems I grossly underestimated the Giants' offense coming into this World Series. Or is it that the Rangers are out there in Santa Claus suits, lugging sacks full of gift-wrapped runs? Not all the runs the Giants have scored so far have been of the gift variety, however. Home runs by Uribe and Renteria, as well as some timely hits have done their share in putting the Giants two games closer to their first World Championship in San Francisco and first overall in 56 years. Matt Cain did his part as well, pitching a gem and combining with Javier Lopez and Guillermo Mota to shut out the Rangers in Game 2.

The game was a close one until the bottom of the 8th, when the Rangers bullpen couldn't find the plate if they had a GPS giving them directions. The Giants circled the bases, first one by one, then in bunches as it took four Rangers pitchers to get that elusive third out. At one point in the inning, 11 straight balls were thrown! When the inning was over, 7 Giants runs had scored, ripping open the game and sending Brian Wilson back to the dugout, as he was no longer needed in a 9-0 blowout. What was with those Rangers relievers in the 8th? Did the World Series get into their heads or were they wearing invisible blindfolds?

The series moves to Arlington, Texas on Saturday evening and the Rangers had better hope the home cooking is good if they are to keep their hopes of a championship alive. They will depend on Colby Lewis, who beat the Yankees twice in the ALCS to keep them out of a 3-game hole. The Giants, on the other hand, must rely on Jonathan Sanchez, whose command has eluded him for most of this post-season, to put a stranglehold on the Rangers. The Rangers have the potential to turn this World Series around. The question is, will they? The Giants have the momentum and have proven to be very capable of running with it. Will they run all the way to the title? We shall see...

World Series Game 1: Run Prevention Gone Awry

Not quite the pitcher's duel we had expected, Game 1 of the World Series between the Rangers and Giants ended up very much the opposite. Neither Cliff Lee nor Tim Lincecum brought their A game to the mound and some sloppy glovework on both sides led to a rather messy slugfest between the two teams. The Giants got the better of the Rangers by 4 runs and ended up scoring 11 in all. It was almost comical, in that the Giants aren't a team that scores a lot of runs. They scored 19 over six games in the NLCS and their fans often refer to their games as "torture" because they're usually tight, one or two run affairs. So what do they do? They go out and put up 11 in Game 1 of the World Series! That's baseball for you.

Juan Uribe and Freddy Sanchez ended up being the biggest Giants bats of Game 1, with Uribe taking Darren O'Day yard for 3 runs in the 5th and Freddy Sanchez knocking 4 hits, 3 of them doubles. The Giants got to a surprisingly ineffective Cliff Lee for 7 runs in all and tacked on 4 more off the Rangers' pen--one off of O'Day and three off of Mark Lowe, who was not on the roster for the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Rangers' defense helped the Giants' cause, notching 4 errors, for which they paid dearly. Vlad Guerrero booted two balls in the outfield, calling into question his presence out there. Just how important is his bat to the lineup? Is it worth the liability in right field? Ron Washington seems to think so, as Guerrero is slated to play right again in tonight's Game 2.

The Giants' bullpen made the game closer than it looked like it was going to be going into the ninth. Red Sox fans watching last night no doubt recognized the Ramon Ramirez who started off the inning with two baserunners. Affeldt didn't fare much better and it took quirky closer Brian Wilson to finally put Game 1 to bed, but not before the 3 Giants relievers allowed the Rangers to score 3 runs in the ninth.

Tonight in Game 2, C.J. Wilson takes the hill for the Rangers and Matt Cain for the Giants. Wilson struggled in Game 5 of the ALCS, but Cain came up big in Game 3 of the NLCS. It will be interesting to see how the Rangers respond to their Game 1 beatdown and how the Giants try to build on their victory.

2010 World Series: Triumph of the Underdogs

In less than 48 hours at AT&T Park (a.k.a The Park that Broke The 2010 Red Sox) in San Francisco, the 2010 Fall Classic begins. Let's look at how the teams match up, position by position, and, for the starting pitchers, game by game:

Position Players

Catcher: Giants - Buster Posey
Rangers - Bengie Molina

Advantage: Giants, with youth and raw talent giving Posey the slight edge.

First Base: Giants - Aubrey Huff
Rangers - Mitch Moreland

Advantage: Rangers but this is also very close. Moreland, the rookie, beats out Huff based on his performance in the post-season so far.

Second Base: Giants - Freddy Sanchez
Rangers - Ian Kinsler

Advantage: Rangers

Third Base: Giants - Pablo Sandoval
Rangers - Michael Young

Advantage: Rangers, no offense to "The Panda"

Shortstop: Giants - Juan Uribe
Rangers - Elvis Andrus

Advantage: Rangers. Uribe has more pop, but Andrus has been an on-base machine with the wheels to make a lot of trouble for the Giants on the basepaths.

Left Field: Giants - Pat Burrell
Rangers - Jeff Francoeur/David Murphy

Advantage: Giants, but only a slight edge. Murphy makes it a closer call than Francoeur.

Center Field: Giants - Andres Torres
Rangers- Josh Hamilton

Advantage: Rangers have the huge advantage here, but Torres has heated up of late.

Right Field: Giants - Cody Ross
Rangers - Nelson Cruz

Advantage: Rangers. Ross may have been the NLCS MVP, but Cruz has been the steadier producer throughout the season.

Bench: Giants - Travis Ishikawa, Mike Fontenot, Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, Eli Whiteside, Nate Scheirholtz
Rangers - Jorge Cantu, Andres Blanco, Matt Treanor, Julio Borbon, either Jeff Francoeur or David Murphy

Advantage: Giants. National League teams' benches get more at-bats and with guys like Renteria and Rowand on the Giants' bench, it makes it ever-so-slightly stronger.


Bullpen (minus closer): Giants - Santiago Casilla, Ramon Ramirez, Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo, Guillermo Mota
Rangers - Darren Oliver, Darren O'Day, Alexi Ogando, Derek Holland, Clay Rapada, Michael Kirkman


Advantage: Giants. The change-of-scenery honeymoon may be over for Ramon Ramirez, but another former Red Sox reliever, Javier Lopez, got himself back on the right track and has been dominant for the Giants in the playoffs so far. Other standouts: Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo. The Rangers 'pen was great in the regular season, but the strike zone has eluded them a bit in October, particularly "the two Darrens"

Closer: Giants - Brian Wilson
Rangers - Neftali Feliz

Advantage: Giants. Fear the Beard.

Game 1 Starter: Giants - Tim Lincecum
Rangers- Cliff Lee

Advantage: Rangers. Post-season Cliff Lee gets the edge over anyone, even Tim Lincecum.

Games 2, 3, and 4 Starters: Giants - Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner
Rangers- C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter or Derek Holland

Advantage: Giants, if the Rangers use four starters and Rangers if Cliff Lee starts on short rest.

World Series prediction: Rangers in 7. The pitching staffs are close so the advantage goes to the team with the biggest sticks and wheels.

This, of course, is just a fan's point of view. The people who write about baseball for a living have their take on each position posted on mlb.com and I'm going over there right now to see how my predictions stacked up to theirs.


Edited to add: I didn't include DH because I'm not sure who the Giants will use for their DH in Texas. Whoever it is, the Rangers have the clear advantage with Vladimir Guerrero

2010 World Series: Rangers vs. Giants

As soon as the four teams for the league championship series were decided, I was hoping for a Rangers-Giants World Series. It didn't seem all that likely at the outset, with those two teams' opponents being the Yankees and the Phillies, who played last year's World Series. However, the underdog triumphed in both series. For the Rangers, it's the franchise's first World Series appearance ever and for the Giants, the first World Series since they moved to San Francisco in 1958 (They won as the New York Giants in 1954). Both teams have a ton of chemistry and an intense hunger for a championship.

The big show opens on Wednesday night in San Francisco, with a marquee matchup of Cy Young winners Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum. As much as I've enjoyed the Giants' post-season run so far, I'm rooting for the Rangers to win it all. The Rangers beat the Yankees, kept them from getting Cliff Lee back in July, and don't yet have a championship to their name. I think the Rangers' starting pitching is just a hair better than that of the Giants and they have a clear advantage on the offensive end of things. In baseball, though, anything can happen.

How Sweet It Is...

...to see the Yankees knocked off their throne. For a moment, I forgot it wasn't the Red Sox who just clinched a World Series berth--that's how excited I am for the Texas Rangers. It's their first AL pennant and World Series appearance ever and they've been fun to watch. Like I said in the last blog, if it can't be the Red Sox representing the American League in the Fall Classic, it's very satisfying to see a team like the Rangers, who have gone from a one-dimensional slugging team to one who excels in all facets of the game, playing for all the marbles instead.

Congratulations to Josh Hamilton for winning the ALCS MVP. By hitting .350 with 4 HR, he's very deserving of the honor. He gave a lot of credit to his teammates and it's clear from his acceptance speech that he's very close to them. The respect goes both ways, with the team choosing to celebrate with ginger ale instead of champagne to honor his wishes to remain drug-free after battling addiction earlier in his career.

Speaking of key players in this series, Cliff Lee gets a lot of credit for his shutdown pitching in Game 3 and it's all well-deserved, but props are also due to Colby Lewis, who pitched two excellent starts, in games 2 and 6. He went 8 tonight and manager Ron Washington (my pick for AL Manager of the Year) could avoid going to middle relief and send Neftali Feliz out there for the final 3 outs. That A-Rod struck out to seal the deal made it all even sweeter.

By getting it done in Game 6, Cliff Lee will be available to pitch in Game 1 of the World Series against either Halladay or Lincecum--a marquee matchup either way. While I'd love to see a Rangers-Giants World Series, all I care about is that the Yankees aren't in it. I never thought I'd enjoy a post-season so much without the Red Sox involved... Let's hope they ARE involved in the post-season of 2011.

If it can't be the Red Sox...

...let it be the Texas Rangers who keep the Yankees from making a repeat trip to the World Series. The Rangers making their first World Series appearance ever would be great for baseball. Here is a team, now owned by a baseball legend, Nolan Ryan, who has finally got their act together and become contenders. They pulled the rug out from under the Yankees in July when they acquired Cliff Lee, who seemed destined to spend the rest of the season in pinstripes. Now, they have the chance to pull the plug on the Yanks' 2010 season. They have what it takes as far as an explosive offense, strong pitching, and shrewd baserunning is concerned. However, one tall task remains and that is finishing the job with a win tonight. Sure, if they lose tonight, they have two more chances to take the series, but it's essential to keep momentum on their side. The Yankees are notorious for come-from-behind wins, so if the Rangers crack the door open by not finishing them off in Game 5, they could end up regretting it, even with Cliff Lee scheduled to pitch Game 7. Just ask the 2007 Cleveland Indians. They let the Red Sox back in the series and look what happened.

C.C. Sabathia has struggled so far this post-season. C.J. Wilson, on the other hand, has two very solid starts (even if only one resulted in a win) coming into tonight's game. The Rangers bats need to keep pouncing on C.C. and C.J. needs to pitch deep into this game. If there is one weakness on this Rangers team it is that the bullpen can struggle at times with the strike zone. If they can keep the bullpen innings to a minimum with Wilson going at least 7 innings, they should be in good shape, provided the offense keeps doing what they've been doing to the Yankee rotation.

Over in that other league, the Giants have been doing to the Phillies pretty much the same thing the Rangers have been doing with the Yankees. Cody Ross has been a beast and the rest of the team hasn't been doing too badly either. Bruce Bochy's roster moves in Game 3 paid off with Edgar Renteria (remember him?) and Aaron Rowand getting rally-sparking hits in the 4th and 5th innings against Cole Hamels. They send the rookie, 21-year-old Madison Bumgarner to the mound this afternoon to try to take a 3-1 lead in the series. He will face Joe Blanton, who, you may remember, gave up the grand salami to Daniel Nava.

LET'S GO RANGERS!!!!! LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!!

Playoff Update: Evenly Matched?

So far, between the two LCS's, four games have been played and each team has one victory. In Arlington, Texas, the Yanks took Game 1 despite CC's flashbacks to the '07 and '08 playoffs, by chewing up the Rangers' bullpen. The Rangers wouldn't be denied in Game 2, when they put up a 7-spot on Phil Hughes and held the Yankees to 2 runs behind a strong Colby Lewis outing. Put the Rangers' starters and the Yankees' bullpen together and you'd have one helluva pitching staff.

Over in Philly, the Giants assured that Roy Halladay would not open the NLCS with a no-hitter as he did the NLDS. Cody Ross, who has so far been the Giants' post-season MVP, took Doc yard twice in Game 1. Lincecum got touched for two dingers also, but ended up outpitching Halladay to the tune of a 4-3 score. Tonight, in Game 2, it was Oswalt who came up big, pitching 8 innings of 1-run ball. That one run came on a home run by guess who? Cody Ross, of course! His long ball in the fifth broke up Oswalt's no-hit bid, but the Phillies did their damage against Jonathan Sanchez and the Giants' bullpen. Scuffling Jimmy Rollins got the hit that blew the game open in the 7th when he cleared the bases with a double and put his team up 6-1.

As for me, I'm hoping for a Rangers-Giants World Series. The Yankees and Phillies are so last year! When all is said and done, however, I'll be happy for a World Series win by anyone BUT the Yankees.

The Braves Were Once A Boston Team...

...and two former Red Sox helped them come from behind and beat the Giants in the wee hours of this morning. The parties involved: Alex Gonzalez, who had two separate stints as the Sox shortstop, knocked in the tying runs with a 2-RBI double in the eighth off of 48-save closer Brian "I'm Not A Beach Boy" Wilson. Ramon Ramirez, who was shipped off to San Fran at the trade deadline, gave up the winning run, a long home run hit by Rick Ankiel in the 11th that splashed down in McCovey Cove.

Meanwhile, in the other NLDS, the Cincinnati Reds' defense made the Red Sox defense look good in comparison by racking up 4 errors and handling the baseball like it was covered in oil. This is unusual for the Reds, who had the best defense in the league over the regular season. The biggest damage was in the seventh, when Chase Utley had Jetered his way onto first (that Aroldis Chapman pitch did not hit him), beat a force-out at second, and then right fielder Jay Bruce lost a ball in the lights and second baseman Brandon Phillips mishandled the relay throw, allowing two runs to score. It was a brutal inning and not the way Aroldis Chapman wanted his his post-season career to begin. The Phillies ended up beating the Reds 7-4 and take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Awesomeness of Roy Halladay

He's not a Red Sox, but I sure wish he were because he's one of the best, if not the best pitcher in baseball today. The baseball fan in me was thrilled to watch history being made tonight when Halladay, who had waited 11 years to pitch in the post-season threw the first no-hitter in over 50 years and only the second ever in playoff baseball. Only one walk kept him from throwing his second perfect game of the year. The opposition, the Cincinnati Reds, are no pushovers--they scored the most runs in the National League this season. Halladay owned this game from the very beginning, his only blip being the walk, but when you throw a no-no in the playoffs, you can't quibble with one base on balls. He also chipped in at the plate, knocking in the second Phillies run in the second inning. Yes, it is the National League, where the number 9 guy in the lineup is the pitcher, but that doesn't take away from what he accomplished tonight. He was dominant in the American League when he played for the Blue Jays. Pitching on eight days' rest, there was no sign of rust on the Phillies' ace. I'm sad that the Sox aren't in it, but seeing an awesome pitching performance, and baseball history being made is why I'm watching the playoffs this year.

The 2010 Soxies

The Sox played their last game today and beat the Yankees 8-4, after splitting a doubleheader yesterday. That's all the October baseball they'll play this year, but they ended on a high note after a frustrating, disappointing season. Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2010 Soxies

The King of the Hill Award It's a very tough choice this year because there were two pitchers who had outstanding seasons. Although both are deserving, the 2010 Soxie this year goes to Clay Buchholz, who was consistently good from April through September. He missed some time on the DL, which cost him some innings and, most likely, some wins, but his breakout season was inspiring to watch, especially after his struggles in recent years. He finishes the season ranked second in the league in ERA (a sterling 2.33) and posted a 17-7 record. I look forward to what he can do next year. Honorable Mention: Jon Lester, whose 19 wins and 225 strikeouts rival Beckett's 2007 season.

The Teddy Yaz Award This was another very tough choice between two deserving candidates. One overcame a miserable April to put up his best numbers since 2007. Another endeared himself to fans with his .321 batting average and his quirkiness. Lover of consistency that I am, I award the 2010 Soxie to Adrian Beltre. The guy hit well against righties and lefties, at home and on the road, and often knelt at the plate when he hit the long ball. It remains to be seen whether Beltre will be with the team next year, but his contribution this year helped keep the Sox in the race against all odds. Honorable Mention: David Ortiz, with 32 HR and 102 RBI

The Dirt Doggery Award With the usual suspects riding pine on the DL, an impressive rookie grabbed the 2010 Soxie and that would be Ryan Kalish Compared favorably to the original Dirt Dog Trot Nixon, Kalish was not averse to throwing his body at balls in the outfield. Perhaps he was a circus acrobat in his previous life. Honorable Mentions: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis

The Golden Welcome Mat Award He was among the first of the injury-related replacement players and he made a huge impression in his Red Sox debut in April with a home run in his first at-bat and a walk-off hit in the very same game. The 2010 Soxie goes to Darnell McDonald who proved himself deserving of a spot on a major league roster. Honorable Mentions: Ryan Kalish, Daniel Nava

The Comeback Kid Award First it was the injured wrist that took its sweet time to heal. Then, it was an attack of mono that took him out of commission for over half a season. Once he came back in late July to fill in at second base, we saw the guy who impressed us two years ago, when he replaced an injured Julio Lugo at shortstop. The 2010 Soxie goes to Jed Lowrie, who came back with a little more pop in his bat to go along with two more years of maturity. Lowrie finished the season with 9 dingers, three of which he hit against the Yankees. He's definitely a keeper for the 2011 season. Honorable Mention: Adrian Beltre, for bouncing back from his lackluster 2009 with the Seattle Mariners.

The Bullpen Cowboy Award Really, there's only one guy this award can go to this year. He was the one constant in a bullpen full of...well...creatures of somewhat misguided generosity. The 2010 Soxie goes to Daniel Bard who was so reliable that he was overused, leading to a little dropoff in September. Overall, he's head and shoulders above anyone else in that bullpen.
Honorable Mention: Well, Felix Doubront had the most potential before he got hurt.

The Team Player Award He played most of the season with a painful rotator cuff injury and a pinched nerve because the team was already decimated by injuries. The 2010 Soxie goes to Marco Scutaro for his willingness to play through the pain and be the leadoff hitter in the absence of Jacoby Ellsbury. Honorable Mentions: Bill Hall for his versatility and Victor Martinez for his commitment to improving his defense behind the plate.


These next awards are new for this season and do not include honorable mentions.

The Misdirected Laser Show Award goes to Dustin Pedroia for drilling himself in the foot and familiarized Red Sox Nation with the navicular bone.

The Simply Smashing Award goes to Darnell McDonald for his car window-smashing shot over the Monster.

The Grand Entrance Award goes to Daniel Nava for starting off his major-league career by taking the first pitch he sees yard for a grand salami.

The Most Dangerous Teammate Award goes to Adrian Beltre for breaking a minimum of 10 ribs of two left fielders

The Designated Head Toucher Award goes to Victor Martinez for always being the first one to drive Adrian Beltre nuts by touching his head in the dugout after a home run.

The Don't Call Me Mr. April Award goes to David Ortiz for putting his struggles in the first month of the season behind him and turning in his best numbers since 2007.

The Rubik's Cube Award goes to Terry Francona for all the work he had to put into putting out a lineup card each game in a season full of injuries and roster moves. It was like trying to solve a particularly perplexing puzzle

And the 2010 Red Sox MVP goes to.... Daniel Bard This was another tough choice. Bard was the one constant in the shaky bullpen and the go-to guy for key outs late in games. He stayed healthy all season and made a name for himself as one of the premier setup men in the league.

Honorable mentions: Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro, David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Victor Martinez.