MLB Division Series story lines
By: Brian McNally
Examiner Staff Writer
October 7, 2009
AL CAPSULES
New York Yankees
Record » 103-59
Manager » Joe Girardi
How they got here » AL East champ
The skinny » No stadium, much less their new bandbox, can contain the Yankees' power. As a team, New York slugged 244 home runs, including 39 from offseason acquisition Mark Teixeira.Minnesota Twins
Record » 87-76
Manager » Ron Gardenhire
How they got here » AL Central champ
The skinny » Even without Justin Morneau, the Twins went 16-4 down the stretch to catch the faltering Tigers and subsequently pass them in a one-game playoff. Leading the offense is likely AL MVP Joe Mauer. The Minnesota catcher led the majors with a .365 average.» Examiner Predicts
No team in baseball is hotter than the Twins. The momentum they carry will make it a competitive series against New York. But the Yankees didn't win 103 games by accident.
Yankees in four
Los Angeles Angels
Record » 97-65
Manager » Mike Scioscia
How they got here » AL West champ
The skinny » Overcoming the death of Nick Adenhart, the Angels outlasted the Rangers and finished second in runs scored. They don't have a true No. 1 pitcher, but had a league-best six shutouts.Boston Red Sox
Record » 95-67
Manager » Terry Francona
How they got here » AL Wild Card
The skinny » Josh Beckett, despite struggles and injuries, won 17 games. David Ortiz came to life near the end of the season and Victor Martinez has proven to be a key mid-season acquisition.» Examiner Predicts
These two have played in four postseason series -- all four going the way of Boston. This year, the Angels won the season series, 5-3. But it's tough to go against the Red Sox' experience and past history against this team.
Red Sox in five
— Brian Wright
NL CAPSULES
Los Angeles Dodgers
Record » 95-67
Manager » Joe Torre
How they got here » NL West champ
The skinny » L.A. steamrolled opponents in the first couple months, only to lose steam in August and September. They claimed the league's best record, but Joe Torre's club has questions surrounding its hitting and pitching.St. Louis Cardinals
Record » 91-71
Manager » Tony LaRussa
How they got here » NL Central champ
The skinny » When a team has arguably the best hitter of his era and still has more to it, you know it has championship potential. Albert Pujols is a pitcher's nightmare. The 1-2 Cy Young-worthy duo of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright combined to go 36-12.» Examiner Predicts
Los Angeles' offense has struggled mightily in the second half. In contrast, the top of the Cardinals rotation has flourished. The Dodgers are dealt a bad hand.
Cardinals in fourPhiladelphia Phillies
Record » 93-69
Manager » Charlie Manuel
How they got here » NL East champ
The skinny » Nothing much has changed offensively for the defending champions. Ryan Howard slugged 45 homers and drove in 141 RBI. The pitching, though, has been altered. Starter Cliff Lee is a welcome addition, but the struggles of closer Brad Lidge isn't.Colorado Rockies
Record » 92-70
Manager » Jim Tracy
How they got here » NL Wild Card
The skinny » No team looked less alive in May and more alive in September. The Rockies are the only team to boast five 10-game winners. But maybe some credit should be given to Tracy, who took the reigns when they were mired at the bottom of the NL West.» Examiner Predicts
It's hard to overlook what Colorado did in the 2007 postseason. Cliff Lee can't win all the games for Philly. Colorado is deep in the rotation.
Rockies in five
— Brian Wright
1. Even up » Good luck picking a winner in the National League. The Phillies, Dodgers, Cardinals and Rockies all won between 91 and 95 games. All of them have recent postseason experience. Los Angeles has the best bullpen (MLB-best 3.14 ERA). Philadelphia has the best offense. St. Louis has the best starting pitching -- at least at the top of its rotation -- and Albert Pujols. Colorado has the best blend of both offense -- led National League in team OPS (.784) -- and starting pitching (4.22 team ERA). But the Rockies' bullpen (4.53 ERA) ranked 24th in baseball -- is by far the worst of the contenders.
2. Rich get richer? » Baseball fans long ago learned that payroll doesn't guarantee results. But it sure does help. The Yankees top everyone with a gargantuan $206.8 million roster. If you include Detroit ($129.6 million), which played Minnesota last night for the AL Central title, six of the 10 teams with the highest major-league payrolls qualified for postseason play. There are anomalies -- teams that prove spending wisely still gets you to the promised land. St. Louis ($93.6 million) was a mid-level team at No. 13. But the Rockies ranked 21st with $74.7 million in salary. And Minnesota finished tied with the Tigers despite being outspent by $62 million. The Twins ranked 24th overall ($67.9 million).
3. Short series » It's the one true advantage underdogs have in Major League Baseball's postseason. The division series still is a best-of-five affair so an early win can swipe momentum and the homefield edge. Since the sport adopted the division series in 1995, the team with fewer regular-season wins has advanced 27 times out of 56. That means the first round of playoffs is barely a 50-50 bet for the favorites. Of those 27 upsets, the vast majority -- 23 -- went to teams also playing without homefield advantage. Last season it happened twice. The Red Sox (95 wins) beat the Angels (100 wins) while the Dodgers (84 wins) ousted the Cubs (97 wins).
