Divisional Series Recap Day 4

MLB 2009
By Jen Nevius
October 12, 2009

charlie-manuel-jpgPhillies @ Rockies PPD: Game 3 between the   and Phillies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado was postponed until Sunday, with Game 4 on Monday and Game 5 (if necessary) in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

The two teams were faced with temperatures in the 20’s and snow, so MLB decided it was best for players and fans alike to wait until Sunday to play. With the extra day off, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has decided to go with lefty JA Happ in Game 3, instead of the veteran Pedro Martinez. In two outings against the Rockies, Happ has been brilliant going 11.1 innings and giving up just 5 hits and no runs with a .139 batting average against him.

On August 5th in Philadelphia, Happ threw a complete-game shutout against the Rockies. Also, the Phillies could start Game 1 starter Cliff Lee in Game 4 on regular rest, along with Cole Hamels (the Game 2 starter) in Game 5. For the Rockies, they are staying with Jason Hammel in Game 3, with a possibility of coming back with Ubaldo Jimenez in Game 4 and Aaron Cook in Game 5. Hammel has just 2 losses since the start of August.

Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1: With the games on the line, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre was not afraid to go to his closer Jonathon Broxton and his 100mph fastball. In all three games of the divisional series, Torre did just that. Broxton mainly threw just fastballs and was in to close out Game 3, finishing it out by striking out pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel.

Dodgers starter Vicente Padilla overmatched the Cardinals lineup, throwing seven shutout innings and giving up just four hits. On the other hand, Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro lasted just four innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. The 3-4 hitters for the Dodgers (Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez) combined to go 6-for-10 with 4 RBIs. In the 3 game sweep, Dodgers pitchers held the Cardinals offense to just six runs. The Cardinals offense was just 4-for-30 with runners in scoring position.

This sweep of the Cardinals was similar to last season’s divisional series sweep of the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers were not picked to beat the Cubs, yet they did in dominating fashion. This year, the Dodgers were not picked to be able to compete against the Big Two of the Cardinals, yet they won all three. For the Cardinals, despite the loss, they had a successful season.

They won the NL Central in dominating fashion, with an 11 game lead. This in a division that they were not picked in spring training to finish in the top two. Albert Pujols had another MVP season, they have two CY Young candidates, Ryan Franklin turned into a fairly reliable closer, and they successfully moved Skip Schumaker from the outfield to second base. The Dodgers will now sit and wait to see who their NLCS opponent will be: the Rockies or the Phillies. The NLCS begins on Thursday.

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