Plenty of bridesmaids but only one champion as postseason begins
The 2010 Major League Baseball playoffs have everything a fan could want. Offense? Six of the sport’s top seven lineups are here. Pitching? Five of the top 10 staffs reached the postseason.
You have the franchise with by far the largest payroll (New York Yankees) and three other top-10 teams (Philadelphia, San Francisco and Minnesota). On the other side, four clubs made it despite ranking in the bottom half of overall salaries (Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati and Texas). The Yankees, Phillies and Giants represent the big markets. The Rays, Reds and Twins give fans three small-market teams to root for.
Phil WoodWashington Examiner columnist, MASN analyst for Nats Xtra
Brian McNallyWashington Examiner Nationals beat reporter
LDSTB over TEX in 4NYY over MIN in 4PHI over CIN in 4SF over ATL in 5LCSNYY over TB in 7PHI over SF in 6World SeriesPHI over NYY in 7
LDSTB over TEX in 5MIN over NYY in 5PHI over CIN in 4SF over ATL in 4LCSTB over MIN in 7SF over PHI in 7World SeriesSF over TB in 6
LDSTB over TEX in 4NYY over MIN in 5PHI over CIN in 5SF over ATL in 4LCSTB over NYY in 6PHI over SF in 7World SeriesPHI over TB in 6
Just don’t pretend that you know who’s going to win this tournament that begins with a tripleheader on Wednesday. Since Major League Baseball expanded postseason play in 1995, a wild card team has reached the World Series nine times and won four of them. In 2006 the St. Louis Cardinals were a division champion with an 83-78 record during the regular season — and yet took 11 of 16 postseason games to win it all anyway.
Upsets can and will happen because the pressure in October is unlike anything players face during the summer.
“When you make that first start in the postseason, it’s a whole different animal.” said TBS analyst Ron Darling, who pitched in the playoffs three times. “You almost have a feeling like ‘Is this baseball? This doesn’t seem like the thing I’ve been doing since I was nine years old.'”
That’s what Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay will face when he takes the mound late Wednesday afternoon against the Cincinnati Reds. Despite a brilliant career and a stellar 2010 campaign — with a 2.44 ERA over 250 2/3 innings and nine complete games — Halladay has yet to pitch in the postseason during a 13-year career. Can he replicate what Cliff Lee did for the Phillies last October — an incredible 1.56 ERA in 40 1/3 innings to help Philadelphia reach the World Series? It won’t be easy.
Halladay isn’t the only one making his postseason debut. Texas, Cincinnati and San Francisco all employ rosters with limited October baseball experience — especially among their top stars.
“You have to be able to slow everything down and play like it’s a normal game and deliver at the point that every player wants to,” said TBS baseball analyst John Smoltz, who pitched in the playoffs 14 times, including last season with the Cardinals. “It’s magnified and it’s crazy so preparation for it is going to be different no matter how great of a player you are … But what I love about the playoffs is that guys are not allowed to make up for a slow start.”
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Rays vs. Rangers The skinny » Tampa Bay is the favorite here after running the AL East gauntlet en route to a division title. The Rays have Cy Young candidate David Price, a deep bullpen (3.33 ERA) and scored the third-most runs in the majors (802). Texas has an untested rotation. But their bullpen is equal to Tampa’s (3.38 ERA). The Rangers need star outfielder Josh Hamilton (fractured ribs) to produce despite his injury. They were fifth in offense with 787 runs. Twins vs. Yankees The skinny » The Twins are 2-9 against New York in the playoffs since 2003 — all division series losses. But at least they have home-field advantage this time. Will that matter with the venue switching from the raucous Metrodome to Target Field? Either way, slugger and former AL MVP Justin Morneau (concussion) isn’t coming back. No team scored as many runs as the Yankees (859). But there is a ton of pressure on ace CC Sabathia, who could pitch on three days’ rest again this postseason. |
Phillies vs. Reds The skinny » Hard to believe any team can score runs against a Phillies rotation led by Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The two-time defending NL champs also have home-field advantage. But the Reds can score. The NL Central winners were fourth in MLB (790 runs) and saddled Halladay with 13 hits in a 4-3 comeback win June 30. Philadelphia did go 5-2 against Cincinnati this year, including a four-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park in July. Giants vs. Braves The skinny » Hard to see how either team is going to produce runs. The Braves’ lineup is a shell of itself with both Chipper Jones and Martin Prado out for the season. San Francisco’s offense has been rejuvenated in the second half thanks in part to the promotion of rookie catcher Buster Posey. But these are two of MLB’s three best pitching staffs. The Giants boast a 3.36 ERA and Atlanta is right behind them in third at 3.56. |
