Thanks to three-run homers by both Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz, the Philadelphia Phillies have taken a 1-0 lead in the NLCS. The Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to be rallying toward a win but they fell short and lost by a final count of 8-6.
After James Loney hit a solo shot in the second inning, the Phillies responded by putting up five runs in the fifth. Three of the runs came on the Ruiz homer, while Ryan Howard added a two-run double. The Dodgers were able to close the gap to 5-4 but then Ibanez authored his three-run blast in …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies, a team that always had the talent but hadn’t put it together in the postseason, are headed to the 2008 World Series. With a 5-1 victory on Wednesday night over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies needed only five games to win the NLCS.
Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies off to a fast start when he hit a lead off homer. Ryan Howard also had a big night at the plate, as he went 3-4 with a run and an RBI. The Dodgers got their lone run on a Manny Ramirez solo shot in the sixth.
Arguably the star …read more

My latest article is up at Hardball Times. It breaks down Colorado’s sweep of the Diamondbacks. Enjoy…

Congratulations to the Colorado Rockies on completing their sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday en route to their first-ever World Series. Colorado’s assault on the National League since mid-September has been nothing short of spectacular:

Rockies Late Domination

 
G
W
L
RS
RA

End of regular season
15
14
1
102
51

NLDS vs Phillies
3
3
0
16
8

NLCS vs D’backs
4
4
0
18
8

Total
22
21
1
136
67

Perhaps the American League will have better luck…

Hey, everybody, they’re still playing games. The ALCS shifts to Cleveland, where Daisuke Matsuzaka faces Jake Westbrook at 4 p.m. PT. The general strategy for Boston is to keep the ball out of Eric Gagne’s hands, specifically his right hand.
And in the evening game, Colorado looks to complete the sweep at Coors Field. Rookie Micah Owings starts for Arizona, while Franklin Morales gets the call for God’s team. First pitch is at 7 p.m. PT.
Sounds exciting, huh?

Ah, Game 3 of the NLCS. The Rockies return home to Coors Field with a 2-0 lead and the world will be watching. Josh Fogg? Livan Hernandez? Wait, is this baseball or the Chinese water torture?
Sorry, I’ve seen these guys pitch a lot this year and they are excruciating. Both pitchers have the same approach: Let the batter hit the ball and hope that good things happen. It’s earned Fogg and his 60-60 career record the nickname of “Dragon Slayer.” It’s earned Hernandez a World Series ring.
There is winning ugly and then there’s this:

 
ERA
WHIP
K/BB
K/9
OPS

Fogg
4.94
1.53
1.59
5.11
854

Hernandez
4.93
1.60
1.14
3.96
870

Three pitchers in MLB failed to break …read more

The NLCS begins on Thursday. Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks — TV network executive’s worst nightmare. Reassurances that both places are, in fact, part of the United States. (Quick check of Wikipedia reveals that Colorado entered the union in 1876 as the 38th state, while Arizona checked in 36 years later as #48.)
Game 1 of the series takes place at Chase Field (or as I like to call it, ex-BOB). First pitch is at 5:30 p.m. PT. Jeff Francis and Brandon Webb take the mound. As I note in my series preview at Hardball Times, Arizona needs to win Webb’s …read more

Congratulations to the Diamondbacks and Rockies for completing their series sweeps on Saturday. The NL West is now 6-0 in the postseason, if you’re scoring at home.
Meanwhile, we’ve got two AL teams looking for the sweep on Sunday:

Red Sox at Angels, noon PT — The situation is looking bleak for the team that slaps “Anaheim” at the end of its awkward name. Jered Weaver and Curt Schilling hook up in this one. The Angels desperately need to find a way to contain David Ortiz. Yeah, good luck with that. Also, they need to start hitting. Did I mention it’s looking …read more