Knuckle Curve » nlcs

Ibanez and Ruiz Power Phillies Past Dodgers

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:55:37 +0000

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 the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Brad Lidge was able to pick up his third straight save in the postseason. He gave up a hit to begin the inning but then was able to induce a double play.

Cole Hamels, who was amazing last year in the playoffs, picked up the win despite a so-so effort. In 5.1 innings, he gave up eight hits and four earned runs. Clayton Kershaw got the loss after giving up five earned runs in 4.2 innings.

Game 2 will be played on Friday and will pit Pedro Martinez against Vicente Padilla.

Brad Lidge and Carlos Ruiz celebrate the Game 1 win (Image: Zuma Press)

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Philadelphia Phillies Headed to 2008 World Series

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:07:19 +0000

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 of the game was Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels. In seven innings, Hamels gave up only one run on five hits while striking out five. Chad Billingsley wasn’t quite as effective for the Dodgers, giving up three earned runs in less than four innings pitched.

In the 2008 world series, the Phillies will take on the winner of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. The Rays currently lead that series 3-1, with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday.

Here is a video of Cole Hamels talking about how the Phillies will prepare for the World Series:

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Analyzing the Rockies NLCS Sweep

Geoff Young — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:38:55 +0000

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

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Rocky Mountain High

Geoff Young — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 06:23:32 +0000

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…

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Less Gagne, More Cowbell

Geoff Young — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:03:33 +0000

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?

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Two Really Boring Pitchers

Geoff Young — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:23:30 +0000

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 the 4 K/9 threshold this year: Hernandez, Minnesota’s Jose Silva, and Colorado’s Aaron Cook. Only Florida’s Scott Olsen had a higher OPS against than both Fogg and Hernandez.

I dunno if I can sit through this one. Maybe there’s a Small Wonder marathon on somewhere…

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NLCS Begins in Phoenix

Geoff Young — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:13:00 +0000

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 starts to have a shot at returning to the World Series.

I’ve said before that I have a slight preference for the Rockies in this series, but really I’m good with either team. As long as the Indians win the ALCS, I’ll be happy.

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Two Sweep, Two More Seek Same

Geoff Young — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:51:39 +0000

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 bleak for them? Yes, I believe I did.
Indians at Yankees, 3:30 p.m. PT — Jake Westbrook? Roger Clemens? Should be a mismatch, but Clemens finally overstayed his welcome — 6.18 K/9 this year. Still, the guy is one of the top 10 pitchers ever to play the game; if anyone has a little extra in reserve, it’s Clemens. The Indians have hit .329/.453/.614 over the first two games, while New York checks in at .121/.216/.273. It doesn’t get much uglier than that.

Happy watching!

P.S. If your team is out of it, and you just can’t bear to watch someone else bask in the glory, be sure to visit my friends at EMQB and Squib Kick for the latest football news. They’ve got your back.

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