Angels 7, Red Sox 6:

Down by 3 heading into the 8th inning and facing the Red Sox combination of Billy Wagner and Jonathon Papelbon, the Angel came within one run, scoring three in the inning. They could have had more, but Papelbon picked off pinch-runner Reggie Willits to end the threat.

However, Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen allowed a run to score in the bottom of the 8th, increasing the lead to 6-4. With closer Jonathon Papelbon in the game, both players and fans were pretty confident there would be a Game 4. After getting two quick outs, Papelbon got into trouble.

After a single to Erick Aybar, he walked Chone Figgins, bringing up the most patient hitter in the game, Bobby Abreu. After fouling off pitches, Abreu ripped an RBI double off the Green Monster getting the Angels within a run.

The Red Sox chose to walk Torii Hunter intentionally and face Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero ripped the first pitch he saw into centerfield for a 2-run single, giving the Angels a 7-6 lead, and ending Papelbon’s day. The three runs were the first postseason earned runs Papelbon had given up in his career. Los Angeles Dodgers closer Brian Fuentes pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, shocking Red Sox Nation and completing the Angels three game sweep.

Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz pitched well until the sixth inning, when he loaded the bases, but Daniel Bard and his 100 mph fastball got out of the inning. Angels starter Scott Kazmir pitched well in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, & 6th innings, but struggled in the 3rd &4th, giving up 5 runs. The Angels scored 5 runs off of Wagner and Papelbon, and scored 5 runs with 2 outs. The Angels will face the NY Yankees in the ALCS beginning on Friday.

Yankees 4, Twins 1: The baseball career of the Metrodome ended after Game 3 of the ALDS. The Twins, hoping for home-field advantage while playing the middle games at the Metrodome, got surprisingly dominant starting pitching from Carl Pavano, who matched Andy Pettitte zero for zero.

The announcers talked about who would be the first to falter, and Pettitte was, giving up a run in the bottom of the sixth. However the Yankees stormed back, getting solo homeruns by Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada in the top of the seventh, which proved to be the game winners.

The Twins had their chance to score in the bottom of the 8th inning, but Nick Punto went through his third base coach’s stop sign and then was thrown out at third while trying to scamper back. The Twins bullpen could not keep the game at 2-1, as 4 relievers combined to give up 2 runs in the 9th. The difference in the series was that the Yankees could get quick runs with the homerun (they hit six); while the Twins had to scratch and claw to get a run across (they had zero homeruns). The Yankees will meet the Angels in the ALCS beginning on Friday.

Phillies 6, Rockies 5: After the Saturday postponement, both teams were primed to break through the blistery cold weather. The Phillies scored first, off a 1st inning homerun by slumping Chase Utley. The Rockies answered in the bottom of the 1st with 2 runs on four hits, highlighted by a Garrett Atkins RBI single. Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision as the Phillies JA Happ only went 3 innings and allowing 3 runs, while Rockies starter Jason Hammel went into the 4th innings, allowing 4 runs as the Phillies had a 3-run 4th highlighted by a Carlos Ruiz RBI single.

In the bottom of the 4th off of Joe Blanton, the red-hot Carlos Gonzalez (who had another 3 hits in the game) crushed a homerun to tie the game at 4. Ruiz hurt the Rockies again by getting an RBI single in the 6th, giving the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 lead. The Rockies in the 7th got a sacrifice fly from Troy Tulowitzki, as he just missed a 3-run homer off of Ryan Madson, to tie the game at 5.

This could have been a big inning for the Rockies as Madson entered with runners on first and third with no one out. He came in to strike out Todd Helton, gave up the sacrifice fly, and struck out Yorvit Torrealba to end the inning. In the top of the 9th inning, the Phillies got to Rockies closer Huston Street, as he was not sharp, giving up a sacrifice fly to Ryan Howard, giving the Phillies a 6-5 lead. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel elected to go with Bad Lidge to close out the game. After getting the first hitter to ground out, he walked Gonzalez, who proceeded to steal second base.

However, Lidge came back to strike out pinch-hitter Jason Giambi, but then walked Todd Helton. With the winning run on first base, Lidge got Tulowitzki to fly out to end the game. It was a hard fought win for the Phillies, as their bullpen outlasted the Rockies. The walks (eight of them) by Rockies pitchers came back to haunt them as three of them scored and a bases-loaded walk forced in a run in the 4th inning. Game 4 will be Monday night in Denver, with Phillies Game 1 starter Cliff Lee going up against Rockies Game 1 starter Ubaldo Jimenez.

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.

On Matt Tolbert’s base hit to right field, the Twins were set to take a 1-0 lead in the 4^th innings as Delmon Young was coming around to score. However Nick Swisher’s throw went to second base where Carlos Gomez was caught off the base before Young scored…inning over, 0-0 game. With the Twins on the brink of splitting the series and sending it back to the Metrodome, closer Joe Nathan came in to seal the 3-1 victory. However, Alex Rodriguez, who is no longer in a career postseason slump, hit a game-tying 2-run homer to send the game to extra innings. The Twins had their chances to score throughout the game, but none were bigger than the top of the 11^th. With the bases loaded and no one out, Yankees reliever Dave Robertson got a first pitch line drive out from Young, a first pitch groundout from Gomez, and a fly ball out from Brendan Harris (who up until the A-Rod homer was in line for player of the game) without allowing a runner to score. In the bottom of the 11^th, Mark Teixeira made sure the game didn’t go any further by hitting a line drive homerun into the left field corner to leadoff the inning and send Yankees fans home happy. The Twins head home to stave off elimination down 0-2.

Angels 4, Red Sox 1:

A pitcher’s duel was expected when the pitching matchups were released and Boston Red Sox’s Josh Beckett and LA’s Jered Weaver did not disappoint. However, in the 7^th inning, the Angels brought the speed (2 stolen bases) and the bottom of the order chased Beckett from the game with a three run inning. The inning was capped by Maicer Izturis’ 2-out RBI single (career .327 hitter with runners in scoring position) and Erick Aybar’s 2-out, 2-run triple. Weaver was untouchable going into the 8^th inning by striking out his last hitter (his 7^th strikeout), before giving way to the bullpen. Weaver went 7.1 innings, giving up just 2 hits. The Angels, who are always asked about the Red Sox dominance over them in the playoffs, have a commanding 2-0 series lead heading to Boston. The Red Sox mighty offense has been held in check, getting just 8 hits in 18 innings against the Angels pitching staff.

Preview of Game 3’s:

The Philadelphia Phillies head to Colorado and the frozen tundra temperatures at Coors Field with the series tied at 1-1. Game time temperature is expected to be around 30 degrees with a possibility for snow. Some expect a possible postponement if the weather is not acceptable. Players just want to play, cold weather or not, especially the Phillies Matt Stairs, who is from Canada. The starting pitchers are the Rockies Jason Hammel, who is making his first playoff appearance versus the Phillies Pedro Martinez, the playoff veteran.

The Dodgers head to St. Louis looking to sweep the divisional series. They send Vicente Padilla to the mound up against Joel Pineiro. How the Cardinals rebound from the shocking loss in game 2 will determine the winner of this series.

Porcello got into trouble in the seventh, but Zach Miner came in to retire Denard Span on a weak fly ball and struck out Orlando Cabrera to end the inning. Jose Mijares and Jon Rauch combined to pitch 2 shutout innings for the Twins. Brandon Lyon of the Tigers was in trouble in the 9^th inning with a runner on third and one out, but Nick Punto popped up the suicide squeeze bunt attempt and the Tigers doubled Alex Casilla off of third. However, nothing could save Lyon from disaster in the tenth. A leadoff single by Span and 2 wild pitches later put Span on third. Veteran Cabrera followed with a single, Lyon walked Joe Mauer, and Carlos Gomez bunted them up a base. After an intentional walk to Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young followed with a sacrifice fly.

When Lyon got Casilla to fly out, he had allowed 2 runs and put the Tigers in a big hole with All-Star closer Joe Nathan coming in. Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the 10^th with a solo homerun, giving the over 35,000 standing fans something to cheer about. With rally hats abound, Nathan quieted the crowd by getting Placido Polanco and Ryan Raburn to fly out and Miguel Cabrera to ground out to end the game. The Twins celebrated being 1 game back of the Tigers but had one more game to play that night.

I wrote about the keys to the series for both teams in an earlier post. In Game one, the Tigers middle of the order went 2-for-16, 0 RBIs, and 7 men left on base. The Tigers bullpen pitched 3.2 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks. Oh, and the bullpen (Lyon) got the loss. Not exactly getting it done. The Twins leadoff hitter Denard Span went 2-for-4, with 1 RBI, and 1 run scored. The Twins bullpen pitched 3 innings, giving up just one hit and one run, earning the win (Rauch) and the save (Nathan). The Twins got the job done.

Many asked the Tigers between games if they were feeling the pressure. Brandon Lyon, Game one’s loser, stated it best “We’ve had our backs up against the wall before. This is a situation to go out there and take the pressure off and have some fun and play baseball.” And play baseball they did. In the second inning, MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera jumped on a Brian Duensing fastball and deposited it over the left center field wall for a solo homer. In the third, Magglio Ordonez came through with a 2-run double to stretch the lead to 3-0. Ordonez had been struggling with runners in scoring position since June (hitting around .220). In the fifth, Brandon Inge laced a 2-run single, making it 5-0, and so it seemed, the rout was on.

But in the top of the sixth, Denard Span hit a hustle double, followed by an Orlando Cabrera RBI single. Joe Mauer followed with a double and Jason Kubel added a sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 5-2. In the 8^th when ace Justin Verlander seemed to be tiring, the Twins took advantage. Mauer hit an RBI groundout, scoring Span, and Kubel added an RBI double. Tigers manager Jim Leyland came out of the dugout for a conference with Verlander, which turned out to be a quick “How are you?” and an about-face back to the dugout to watch Verlander get Cuddyer to hit a groundout to end the inning. Verlander’s next to last pitch was a 98mph fastball blown right by Cuddyer for strike two. Verlander proved why he IS the ace: 8 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 8 K, and throwing 129 pitches. The Tigers offense added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on Curtis Granderson’s 30^th homerun, which was greatly needed when Fernando Rodney entered the game. After giving up a leadoff single to Young, Rodney set down the next 2 Twins hitters, bringing Nick Punto to the plate. He lofted a fly ball to centerfield that Granderson seemed to misjudge or possibly lose in the lights. It dropped in over his head for an RBI double. With the game on the line, Rodney got Span to fly out to end the game. Game two went to the Tigers, increasing their lead in the AL Central back to 2 games over the Twins.

For Game two, the Tigers middle of the order was much better. They went 5-for-13, with 2 runs scored and 5 RBIs. The bullpen, well closer Fernando Rodney, pitched the ninth allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 1 K (and the save). Span for the Twins went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored. The Twins’ bullpen line doesn’t look bad: 3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HR, but Bobby Keppel came on in relief of Brian Duensing and allowed 2 of Duensing’s runners to score.

Alex Rodriquez hit his 563rd homerun, tying the slugger with Reggie Jackson for 11th place on the all-time list

Two good, high-priced teams will be in New York this weekend as the New York Mets host the New York Yankees at Citi Field starting on Friday night. Both teams won Thursday night to tighten their respective races. Laden with injuries and the usual controversies that accompany both teams, the weekend series has big pennant race potential for the Big Apple’s finest.

In Atlanta, the Yankees finally got plenty of hitting and run production from the cleanup slot in an 11-7 win over the Braves. Alex Rodriquez hit his 563rd homerun, tying the slugger with Reggie Jackson for 11th place on the all-time list.

The Atlanta win was A-Rod’s first multi-hit game since May 25th. His 3 for 5, one homerun and 4 RBI night brought some relief to a troubled clubhouse and manager. In a rare road appearance, General Manager Brian Cashman paid a road visit to the Bronx Bombers who have lost 9 of their last 11 and relinquished the league lead to the dreaded Bosox.

With their talented slugger mired in a .223 slump, the Yanks have struggled for hits much less runs. A-Rod’s slump has been so pronounced that Braves Manager Bobby Cox did the unthinkable walking Mark Teixeira to load the bases for the struggling third baseman. A-Rod used an inside out swing to plate two runs with a clutch single.

Speculation has been that his strike zone is extended and that he has not fully recovered from hip surgery. Yankee fans have short memories and when you are the cleanup hitter for the highest profile team in the sport, you had better produce.

The Yankees’ most consistent starter, Andy Pettitte only lasted 3.2 innings yielding 7 hits and 6 runs before giving way to Alfredo Aceves who went 2.1 innings recording his 5th win against one loss. Mariano Rivera posted his 17th save retiring the last batter.

Resurgent left fielder Johnny Damon also drive in 4 runs with another solid 4 – 5 night at the plate. Damon raised his average to .293 and has been the most consistent Yankee batsman to date.

Mets 3, Cards 2

Two of the game’s best pitchers, both Cy Young winners, went at it on Thursday with the Mets Johan Santana (9-5) out-dueling Chris Carpenter (5-2) and giving the Mets consecutive wins for the first time in 16 days.

With Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado out with injuries, the Mets’ lineup has some serious holes. Disabled pitchers John Maine and Oliver Perez has pushed the bullpen the brink.

Double A callup, Nick Evans delivered a clutch two run shot in the three run third. With help from Pedro Feliciano, who pitched the eighth and closer Francisco Rodriquez, who notched his 20th save, the Mets pulled within a half game of the Phillies in the NL East. What weekend!

The brotherly pairing is baseball’s first since 2002. It can now be said that the older brother has the edge in these contests. The elder brother has now won 12 times as the league leading Dodgers improved the best record in baseball with a 6-4 triumph.

The game was significant for both teams. The Angels had been riding an eight game winning streak and have pulled themselves to within a half game of American League West Leader the Texas Rangers, who lost in 11 innings to the San Francisco Giants. Had the younger, 26 year old Jared, been able to defeat his older brother 32 year old Jeff, the Angels would have moved into sole possession of first place.

Journeyman Jeff, continued his resurgences and lifted the Dodgers to another impressive win. Sporting the game’s best record at 45-24, the Dodgers lead the National league West by 8 games.

The Dodger season is a credit to a total team effort; the game’s best all around defense, clutch hitting by the full lineup, solid starting pitching and tremendous relief pitching. Saturday night’s victory displayed all of the above ingredients as the visiting Dodgers improved their intra-league record to 6-5.

Gail Weaver, mother of the rival pitchers and close brothers, summed up her emotionally charged evening; “We were hoping somehow that they can both get a win, but we know that isn’t possible, so you just keep rooting for them both and whatever happens, happens. They both deserve this because they both work so very hard.”

On the strength of a Kendry Morales homerun and an errant pickoff attempt by Jeff, the Angels jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. As they have done all season, the Manny-less Dodgers answered with Russell Martin’s first homerun of the season, a clutch two run triple by Andre Ethier, an RBI single by Casey Blake and a sacrifice fly by Orlando Hudson aka O-Dog.

Manager Joe Torre praised his winning pitcher but had high praise for his bullpen stars, Ronald Bellisario (4 strikeouts) and Ramon Troncoso (four up – four down).

The Dodgers and Angels square away again on Sunday night in ESPN’s featured game. Enjoy the game and Happy Father’s Day!

Cards – 3, Mets – 0

Many of the aces in both leagues were out in force on Tuesday night. For the most part, they lived up to their salaries. Thanks to the strong play of the National League West, who won 4 of their 5 interleague games, when the last pitch was thrown out west, the league had split the 14 games. In an oddity, 3 of the 4 NL West wins came on AL soil.

But when it was all said and done, Tuesday night was about pitching, pitching and more pitching. The best pitching performance went to St. Louis Cardinal right-hander Joel Pineiro. The 6 foot 8 inch, 9-year veteran dominated the decimated Mets with a complete game 2 hit blanking that raised his record to 6-8.

Pineiro issued one walk and struck out one in lowering his ERA to 3.40. It was Pineiro’s first shutout of the year.

Royals 2, Astros –1

Kansas City ace Zack Greinke recorded his 9th win (9-3) and lowered his league leading ERA to an astounding 1.90 with eight innings of eight hit ball. He offered no walks and struck out five with 107 pitches. Every time this guy goes out, the Royals can beta any team in the game.

Giants – 4, A’s – 1

The Giants 650,000 man and Cy Young winner Tim Linecum tossed another complete game gem, giving up 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 12 for his 7th win with 108 pitches.

The free-swinging Giants made the most of their 4 hits. Despite their weak hitting, the Giants keep on winning and reigning in the front running Dodgers.

Red Sox – 11, Nats – 3

The Red Sox used 5 pitchers to land the Nationals. Brad Penny gave up three in 5.2 innings but as usual the Sox got timely hitting. Ellsbury went 4-4 and Jason Bay went 4-6. The Sox hitting moved them one more game ahead of the struggling Yankee batsman.

Braves – 4, Yankees – 0

A-Rod needs a demotion. The 3rd basemen’s measly .209 batting average has him mired in the longest slump of his career and gives the Yankees a hole in the middle. The slugger will find himself, but perhaps it will be from the six or seven slot.

Tommy Hanson moved to 3-0 with 5.2 innings of 4 hit shutout ball. Chien-Ming Wang dropped to 0-6 with an 11.62 ERA but showed signs of a mending sinker. How long will Manager Girardi stay with his struggling number three?

Dodgers – 5, White Sox – 2

The Dodgers notched their 47th win behind Hiroki Kuroda’s first win since opening day. The ailing Kuroda was sharp with good velocity, a sharp slider and total command.

The only right-hander in a stable of left handed starters, Kuroda struck out nine and walked none in 8.2 innings. Dodger closer notched his 18th save.

Phillies – 10, Rays – 1

In a rematch of last year’s World Series teams, Jamie Moyer pitched 6 impressive innings to lead the Phillies over the struggling Rays. The Phillies continue their outstanding road play as Utley and Mayberry each belted homeruns.

Nobody is hotter in Major League Baseball. The Rockies have clawed their way back to the National league West pennant race and have boosted their stock along the way. Monday night’s game in Anaheim drew 39,557 fans, many curious to see exactly what this team brings to the plate.

They left with a good sampling, as the home-standing Angels continue to find the NL West are not the patsies originally described. On Monday, the Rockies brought out their 7 game winner, veteran Aaron Cook, who has won 59 games since joining the Colorado franchise.

It was a typical performance for Cook. He challenged hitters in his seven innings of three hit, two walk, one run pitching. Cook has nearly perfected his sinker. The Rockies recorded 13 ground ball outs in Cook’s stint.

In his post game interview, Manager Jim Tracy applauded his lead pitcher, “It was quite a statement from Aaron. I think there is more top come from him, though, as he moves on through the course of his career.”

The development of the sinker has Cook looking like an All Star and like a pitcher with a future similar to Derek Lowe of the Braves. He gives the Rockies plenty of innings and keeps his defense in the game.

On Monday Cook was in charge from the outset. Seth Smith’s two run single and Ian Stewart’s RBI single gave the Rockies an early second inning lead they would not relinquish in the 11-1 victory.

Brad Hawpe added a thunderous insult to injury with a three-run homerun to straightaway center field in the fifth. That was it for ace Angel, Matt Palmer, whose perfect 6-0 start now has blemish.

The LA pitching problems continued as the pitchers were guilty of six wild pitches setting a new and dubious club record. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia paid tribute to the resurgence of the Rockies.

“They way they played tonight, we saw firsthand the way they’ve been playing the last few weeks. Their hitters were very disciplined. They made Matt get in the zone and when he did, they were ready for him.”

The Angels who just lost a series to the LA Dodgers must be wondering what is going ion in the NL West. The Rockies and the Dodgers are two of the most patient hitting teams in baseball. And, it is working. By forcing pitchers to throw more pitches and throw strikes for pitches, they are going deep into counts and getting pitches they can drive. The Angels, long known as a free swinging team, just might want to try it.

The 12-5 win at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City put LaRussa in some pretty exclusive company. The savvy manager joins legends Connie Mack and John McGraw as the only managers to win 2500 games or more. His 2500-2177 won-lost record trails Mack (3731-3948) but leaves him just 263 games behind McGraw (2763-1948). The way the Cardinals are playing, LaRussa could pass McGraw in two more years.

And, the way the Cardinals are winning is very connected to the way their superstar Pujols is hitting. The way Pujols is hitting puts him on track to have another remarkable season. Hitting .329 with 68 RBI’s and 26 homeruns, the perennial all-star first baseman is building a signature year for an already impressive resume. In baseball today, there is no better batsman.

The Cardinals do not typify 21st century baseball. Their pitching staff is mediocre, the relief pitching adequate and if Pujols were not in the lineup, they would not feature one .300 hitter. Yes, LaRussa is an outstanding manager and every game he is challenged to out-strategize managers with superior pitching and superior overall hitting. However, Pujols makes up for a lot of deficiencies.

On Sunday, Pujols went 4-5, hit two homeruns and with the help of his 3rd grand slam this year, drove in six runs. Amazing, truly amazing!

Pujols has family and friends in the Kansas City area. The Royals may want to consider relocating them. In his career, Pujols has hit 12 homeruns in 27 Kaufman Stadium games. This weekend he swatted three homeruns and drove in 10 runs.

Pujols has now hit 9 career grand slams, tying him with the legendary Stan Musial for the franchise record. As LaRussa said, “He does it over and over again. And, it’s just impossible to describe how great he is. But, when he does something like this, this is really great. It was the difference. His production is the difference in the game.”

The Cardinals were actually trailing the improved Royals 3-4 entering the decisive 4th inning. The Cardinals sent 13 men to the plate. With the bases loaded, Pujols uncorked an astonishing blast that struck the windows in the Royals Hall of Fame Building in left field 423 feet away. Game over!

For good measure, Pujols belted a solo blast in the fifth. C’mon. Are you kidding?