A Freeway Series May Be a Long Way Away

Los Angeles had a rough weekend for baseball. Not only did the Dodgers get absolutely creamed last night in Philadelphia, but the Angels lose a heartbreaker in New York the night before (or early that morning, if you prefer) on a Maicer Izturis throwing error in the bottom of the unlucky 13th inning (right). Neither team is out of it yet, but it does appear that the LA thirst for a freeway series may not be quenched in 2009.

Phillies absolutely roll over the Dodgers 11-0. Trouble happened early and often for the Blue, starting with Hiroki Kuroda (below left) in the first inning. Kuroda pitched 1 2/3 innings with 6 earned runs. He was replaced by Elbert in the bottom of the second, but really it wasn’t early enough. It’s tough to watch a starting pitcher get pulled in the 1st, but Kuroda could not find the strike zone. On multiple occasions in the first inning, the count quickly rang to 3-0 or 3-1, and the Phillies made him pay. Like any great major league pitcher, once your team is up, you can really turn on the heat, and Cliff Lee pitched a lights out game.

Many are blaming Joe Torre on the loss once again, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Kuroda had been out for weeks with a herniated cervical vertebra (neck) and had only pitched a few side games against wimpy-batted Arizona. Not to make excuses, but this was a throw away game anyway. Besides the surprising performance from Pedro Martinez in game two, the Phillies don’t really have any great starters besides Cliff Lee. From a long way off, this seemed like the game that Philly would win, regardless of who started for the Dodgers. So why waste a game with someone like Padilla or Wolf when you can try and see if you can get anything from the only pitcher who did anything in last year’s NLCS, Kuroda? It was a gamble yes, but one that had a relatively similar balance on win vs loss.

Unfortunately for LA fans, this isn’t really looking like the year. But after today we’ll really get a chance to see where LA stands in the Championship Series. Both games are must wins for each team. The term “must win” is greatly over used, but a win by the Phillies or Yankees puts each team away from the World Series by one win. Dodgers would be down 3-1, and Angels would be down 3-0. With how Philadelphia and NY are playing right now, that would be an absolutely insurmountable distance to make up.

Phillies Steal Home Field Advantage in Game 1

In the top of the 5th inning last night, the Phillies did their damage. After pitching an incredibly competitive first four innings, Clayton Kershaw had a complete meltdown. Kershaw threw only 11 wild pitches all season, but lost the strike zone and threw three in one inning. Rarely do I ever blame coaches and managers for losses because it’s always the players that have to execute, but Torre might need to be credited with this loss.

Even after the first two wild pitches in the fifth, Torre was still going to stick with his 21 year-old starter. Even after Carlos Ruiz smacked a three-run homer with no outs on the board, Torre was still going to stick with his starter. A reliever wasn’t even warming up until AFTER Kershaw (pictured above) walked Philly Pitcher Cole Hamels on four pitches after Ruiz’s three-run shot. Kershaw pitched four great innings, but he lost his stuff. If it was the 2nd inning, maybe give him some time, but not halfway through the game. Torre should have pulled him after the Ruiz’s home run.

The fifth inning is where the game was lost, even though bullpen ace George Sherrill blew it in the 8th. Sherrill has been dynamite since the Dodgers acquired him from Baltimore earlier this year, (2 runs in 27 ⅔ innings), and had LA not been in such a hole from the 5th, 3 runs in the top of the 8th really wouldn’t have mattered. The Dodgers are great when leading. The pitching staff can historically get a little shaky when having to make up ground, and LA’s consistent strength throughout the year has been their unstoppable bullpen. The most they’ve ever come back from is a 5 run deficit, but that was way back in the beginning of June. The Dodgers are like the horse racing legend War Admiral, once they get ahead, they never look back.

The Dodgers are very much still in the race. Even though home field advantage is no longer relevant, it’s not over yet. A disturbing statistic is that 14 out of the last 16 Game 1 NLCS winners went on to the Series. A reverse of that stat then is only 2 teams since 1992 have come back to win after losing the first game. But the last time it did happen was only in 2006, when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the NY Mets in 7. Oh yeah, they went on the win the World Series by the way.

And Then There Were Four

October is the easily the best month in sports, and the MLB post-season is one of the best things in October. 30 teams started in April, now only 4 remain. Three sweeps and one 4-game series prove that the Yankees, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies are truly in the right spot.

With incredible comebacks, this has been one of the most exciting first rounds in recent memory. Dodgers 9th inning comeback in game 2 against the Cardinals was the most exciting baseball game I’ve ever seen. Well, maybe the most exciting 9th inning I’ve ever seen. The Dodgers have been railed for having weak pitching, but Wolf, Billingsley, and Padilla held the Cardinals to only 6 runs, easily taking care of Pujols. What’s most impressive is that LA survived arguably the best one-two punch in Major League Baseball in Chris Carpenter & Adam Wainright. Not many thought they’d be able to take one, let alone two games from those two. Even the LA Times picked St. Louis to sweep the Dodgers. But one must remember that the Dodgers had a playoff spot virtually locked up for the last two months. They ended with a terrible road trip which almost knocked them out of a Division Championship, but when you’re on the road, with a 7 or 8 game lead, playing terrible teams, it’s pretty difficult to rise to the challenge and have fun playing baseball. No one really thought that the Dodgers could flip the switch, but it sure seems like they have. Watch out Philly. Dodgers in 6.

The Yankees have been getting a lot of love recently, but it might be the love Kate Hudson is giving ARod that’s changed him for the better. On his show, David Letterman mentioned that there are rumors that Kate Hudson may be pregnant. His response was that it “might be the first time Alex Rodriguez has ever produced in October!” Hey-O! But Dave’s not too far off. However, this year’s a little different. Through controversy and injury, the spotlight isn’t directly on him, and he’s been absolutely on fire with 5 hits, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI. The LA Angels of Anaheim also impressively knocked off their Achilles heel, the Boston Red Sox. The Angels are the only ones who can boast a winning record against the Yankees in the last five years, and they certainly not going to be afraid of them this time around.

Do I dare predict a freeway series between Angels and Dodgers? It’s difficult not to. If it doesn’t happen this year, it probably never will. For me the Yankees just seem too good this year. There’s a different mentality in the locker room that shows on the field, both in the faces of the players and in the box scores. Angels are also riding a very personal wave with the loss of their upstart young starting pitcher Nick Adenhart to a drunk driving accident. Both of these teams have something worth fighting for. It’s very difficult to pick a winner, but I really have to say Yankees win it in the end. As far as the Phillies and Dodgers are concerned, apart from Cliff Lee, Philadelphia’s pitching is atrocious. While they’ve got fantastic bats with Victorino, Utley, and Howard, the Dodger Bullpen has proved itself to be nearly unhittable. But the Dodgers have been as about as inconsistent of a team you’ll find this far into the playoffs, so you never really know. But as far as I can see, I’m looking at a Dodgers v Yankees World Series.