Yankees 7, Phillies 4: Game 4 was a game with a full rage of emotions. For the Phillies, the fans were fired up at the start, but were quickly quieted by the Yankees early offense. Late in the game, the Yankees were shocked by the homeruns hit by the Phillies to tie the game. Phillies fans and players who were back into the game were thrown for a loop when the game quickly slipped from their fingertips.

Things didn’t start out well for the Phillies Joe Blanton. He gave up a leadoff infield hit to Derek Jeter and a double to Johnny Damon. Mark Teixeira then ripped a ground ball down the first base line, but Ryan Howard gloved it to get Teixeira out at first. However, Jeter scored on the play. Blanton then hit Alex Rodriguez, in which umpires issued warnings to both teams. Jorge Posada followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Phillies got to CC Sabathia in the bottom of the first. A bloop hustle double by Shane Victorino followed by a wall-banger double for Chase Utley, cut the Yankees lead to 2-1. Yet Sabathia limited the damage by striking out both Howard and Raul Ibanez. Sabathia never seemed comfortable all night, constantly shaking off pitches and stepping off the mound. Howard singled to lead off the fourth inning and then stole second. With two outs, Howard was still standing on second base with Pedro Feliz up to bat (who was hitting under .100 against left-handed pitching since the end of August. Feliz singled to left and Damon came up throwing to the plate (which was actually a strong throw) to try and get Howard. Howard crashed into Posada, jarring the ball loose, and was ruled safe to tie the game at 2-2, though replays showed he never touched the plate. This score didn’t last long, as Blanton gave the run back in the top of the fifth, when Jeter softly singled through shortstop, scoring Nick Swisher (who walked to leadoff the inning) from second base. The Yankees scored another run on a base hit by Damon when Melky Cabrera ran through his third base coach’s stop sign.

Utley homered off of Sabathia in the bottom of the seventh, his third homerun of the World Series and third off of Sabathia. This ended Sabathia’s evening and brought on the Yankees bullpen. With a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees went to Joba Chamberlain to setup for closer Mariano Rivera. After blowing away both Jayson Werth and Ibanez on 96 mph fastballs, Joba tried to throw a 95 mph fastball by the now hot-hitting Feliz, who quickly deposited the pitch into the left field seats to tie the game at 4-4. Feliz ended the inning with 3 hits, after only having six hits in 42 postseason at-bats this year. The jubilation and expectations of another comeback victory at Citizens Bank Park quickly came to an end in the top of the ninth as the Phillies pitching yet again couldn’t keep the Yankees scoreless after the offense tied the game. This time it was Brad Lidge, who hadn’t pitched yet in the World Series and hadn’t pitched in a game since Game 5 of the NLCS. After getting two quick outs, Damon got another hit, stole second, and then third because no one went to cover the third base bag as Ruiz threw to second and Feliz was shifted to second base with Teixeira at the plate. This play proved to be costly (and will forever be remembered) as Lidge hit Teixeira and A-Rod followed with a RBI double to retake the lead. Posada followed with a 2-run single to give the Yankees a commanding 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Chamberlain was seen in the dugout hugging Posada and A-Rod, thanking them for saving him and giving the Yankees the lead back.

The electric crowd at Citizens Bank Park turned to moans and groans as the inning was disastrous. Lidge got fastball happy after getting the two quick outs in the ninth, going away from his signature pitch (the slider) which had worked against Hideki Matsui and Jeter. When all was said and done, it took 30 pitches for Lidge to hobble through the 9th. Now the Phillies were down with Rivera coming in to close out the game instead of the game being tied and facing Phil Coke. Rivera quickly dispatched the Phillies hitters, throwing just 8 pitched to finish them off.

The Yankees need one more win to celebrate their 27th World Series title. The Phillies, who were so good the last 2 years in the postseason at home (11-1), have now lost 2 straight at home. To stave off elimination and send the series back to NY, the Phillies will send ace Cliff Lee to the mound to hopefully dominate the Yankees lineup as he did in Game 1. The Phillies will also need to hit Yankees starter AJ Burnett or a great performance by Lee may be negated.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Brad Lidge, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Pedro Feliz, Phillies, World Series Game 4, Yankees

Yankees 3, Phillies 1: The game began with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing their hit song (and Derek Jeter’s entrance song) and most felt this was an omen that the Yankees would win. This was a game many felt would be high scoring with the bullpens battling it out, myself included. However both starting pitchers pitched gems like their Game 1 counterparts. The veteran for the Phillies, Pedro Martinez, entered the field to the expected “Who’s your daddy?” chants. He fed off the hostile crowd to, for the most part, dominate the potent Yankee lineup, a lineup most expected would kill the Phillies pitching. So far, that hasn’t happened. The Yankees are hitting .222, with the red-hot Alex Rodriguez going completely cold, 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. Pedro made just two mistakes, two sole homeruns by Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui, before being taken out in the seventh. Watching Pedro take the mound in the seventh, it reminded me of the 2003 playoffs when he was with Boston and manager Grady Little left him in the game too long (and got fired soon following). With double-barreled action in the Phillies bullpen, manager Charlie Manuel decided to stay with Pedro to start the seventh and it backfired as he gave up back-to-back hits, leading to another run.

Yankees starter AJ Burnett avoided the big wild inning, throwing first pitch strikes to 22 of the 26 batters he faced. Burnett’s curveball was working throughout the night, making the Phillies hitters look silly. He gave manager Joe Girardi seven solid innings, allowing him to go to closer Mariano Rivera for another six out save. Rivera looked hittable in Game 2, especially in the eighth inning when the Phillies had two men on and only one out. Manuel decided not to send the speedy runners (Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino) on a 3-2 count and the batter, Chase Utley, grounded into a double-play to end the inning. Utley meanwhile, extended his consecutive on-base streak in postseason games to 27 with a walk in the 3rd inning, continuing to add on to his Major League Baseball record.

Has Girardi completely lost faith in his entire bullpen? I’m not sure Girardi can continue to go to Rivera for six out saves, especially if he continues to throw close to 40 pitches an outing. We will see as the World Series continues.

Neither team is tearing the cover off of the baseball and both teams RBI machines have cooled off. I mentioned A-Rod earlier, but Ryan Howard went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts last night against the combination of Burnett and Rivera and never looked comfortable at the plate. Unlike in Game 1, Burnett only showed the fastball on the first pitch to most of the hitters and they were taking it for a strike, trying to be patient and run up Burnett’s pitch-count. That approach never really worked. The Phillies struck out 15 times in Game 2, yet only lost 3-1.

The Phillies left Yankee Stadium with a split, something they did last year in the World Series against Tampa Bay and something they just did in this year’s NLCS. They left smiling, with all of the confidence that they have retaken home-field advantage and can win three straight to celebrate in Philadelphia behind their wild and raucous fans. The Phillies have lost just one postseason game at home in the past two years (11-1).

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, NY Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, World Series Game 2

The 2009 World Series is truly a matchup of the two best teams in baseball. There is trash-talking, with each city’s media taking things to the extreme and trying to get the players involved. One NY newspaper depicted Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino in a cheerleading skirt and called the Phillies the “Frillies”. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win in 5 games. Both teams expect hostile crowds while on the road and Rollins loves to silence opposing teams’ home crowds. Plus he used to being hated in NY.

Both team’s ballparks are susceptible to the homerun as they were ranked in the top two in homeruns in Major League Baseball. Both team’s lineups are the two most-prolific homerun-hitting clubs in MLB. And as Nike stated in a 90’s ad, “chicks dig the long ball”. It’s not surprising that both teams sometimes live and die by the long ball. Both teams looked beatable in their respective league championship series, but both overcame their bullpen obstacles to win and advance. Both teams are led by their RBI machines: Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Ryan Howard of the Phillies. A-Rod has stripped the label of “postseason choke artist” and become the Yankees best postseason offensive threat. This will be A-Rod’s first World Series appearance. Howard has continued his usual late season hot streak into the postseason, earning NLCS MVP. Both tied the MLB postseason record for consecutive games with an RBI. It will be interesting to see how the managers elect to pitch to these two sluggers.

Both teams have a few questions marks in their lineups. The Phillies Chase Utley has a 25 straight postseason games of reaching base streak, which ties a ML record. Though he has been on base, he really has not been hitting (.211 against the Dodgers). The Phillies need more than just Victorino, Howard, and catcher Carlos Ruiz to produce. Rollins will need to be the fire-starter and put pressure on the pitchers and Jorge Posada behind the plate for the Phillies to be successful. Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher of the Yankees have been struggling throughout this postseason and some have talked about benching Swisher. The Yankees are relying on Swisher becoming the clutch hitter he has been all season long and Tex to be the power-hitting, RBI machine he was all season.

Both teams have question marks in the bullpen. Ryan Madson, the setup man for the Phillies has been inconsistent all season and has mostly struggled this postseason. Closer Brad Lidge seems to have found his 2008 self. Chad Durbin has been lights-out coming in to get out of jams and if his sinker is working, double-play balls will be common. Everyone else is either hurting or coming back from an injury (Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, and Brett Myers) or inexperienced (Antonio Bastardo, Happ). Yes the Yankees have postseason sensation Mariano Rivera as their closer, but he has been far from dominant in the last year or so. Getting to Mo has been a challenge and manager Joe Girardi has been using him for more than an inning lately. I think that the young bullpen pitchers have struggled lately mainly due to overuse throughout the regular season. Look at box scores and some pitched almost every day (like Phil Coke and his 72 games). Alfredo Aceves ended up with 10 wins, mainly out of the bullpen. Dave Robertson was in the top 5 in the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (12.98) and has been dominant. Phil Hughes has been struggling though he has been the 8th inning setup man for most of the second-half. Since Girardi seems to have lost some confidence in his bullpen, Brian Bruney has been added to the roster and could regain his role of setup man if he dominates.

The pitching staffs are evenly matched. Both have seasoned playoff veterans in Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez. Both managers have decisions to make regarding their Game 4 starters.

Game 1: Cliff Lee @ CC Sabathia
This may be the best pitching matchup that the World Series has had in a long time. They are the last two American League CY Young award winners. They were teammates with the Cleveland Indians up until last July. Lee and his Indians opened up new Yankee Stadium this year against Sabathia and his Yankees, winning 10-2. Sabathia has pitched better than ever in this year’s postseason, rather than in year’s past and is earning every penny the Yankees are paying him. Lee has made other teams look silly for not pulling the trigger and adding him to their pitching staff. Lee has been dominant in his first experience in the postseason.

Game 2: Pedro Martinez @ AJ Burnett
Pedro is sure to hear “who’s your daddy?” throughout this game at Yankee Stadium. He was not well-liked in his Red Sox/Mets days when playing at Yankee Stadium, so it should be no different being with the Phillies. Pedro dominated the Dodgers in his lone playoff game this season for the Phillies (though the bullpen blew his win), and manager Charlie Manuel is hoping for Pedro’s continued playoff success. Burnett is known to be wild but can keep the damage to a minimum if he keeps his emotions in check. Burnett got lit up by the Phillies in back in May, but that was a long time ago. Manager Joe Girardi is hoping for an ALCS Game 2 type outing (6.1 IP, 2 R, 2BB, 1 HBP) from Burnett rather than ALCS Game 5 types outing (6+ IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP).

Game 3: Cole Hamels vs. Andy Pettitte

Pettitte is the seasoned playoff veteran and he continued his playoff dominance against the LA Angels in the ALCS, winning the deciding Game 6. That win was Pettitte’s 16th career postseason victory. Hamels was last year’s NLCS & World Series MVP. He has not been close to the same pitcher so far this year. The Phillies will need the 2009 version of Hamels to regain his 2008 form.

Game 4: Joe Blanton/JA Happ vs. Sabathia/Chad Gaudin/Joba Chamberlain
This is where the debate begins. Happ made his first start of 2009 at new Yankee Stadium back in May and dominated (though Brad Lidge blew the game). Blanton has been the most consistent starter for the Phillies and the backbone of the rotation. Both will be available out of the bullpen for the first two games and whoever pitched the least will probably get the Game 4 nod. Girardi has used the 3 –man rotation throughout this year’s playoffs, though Sabathia has been the only one to pitch on short rest. With only one guaranteed off-day (2 total) and inclement weather looming, can Girardi afford a 3-man rotation? Can all 3 pitch on 3 days rest? Gaudin only made one playoff appearance so far this postseason (1 inning) and Chamberlain has struggled out of the bullpen lately. Neither is stretched out for a long starting stint. Depending on the first three games of the series may dictate how Girardi chooses the Game 4 & 5 starters.

The Phillies won the season series in NY 2-1, though Lidge was not lights-out (2 blown saves and a loss). The Yankees are trying for their 27th World Series title (these reason Girardi wears number 27 on his jersey) and the Phillies are trying for their 2nd consecutive. Both teams have played loose throughout the postseason. On paper, the Yankees would be the choice to win, but the Dodgers on paper looked like the team to be in the World Series. It’s time to throw out all the stats and watch the two teams play ball. It should be exciting.

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Brad Lidge, Brian Bruney, CC Sabathia, Chad Durbin, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Dave Robertson, JA Happ, Jimmy Rollins, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, NY Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Phil Hughes, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, World Series

Every postseason, there are disappointing players and teams and thus those teams usually end up losing. Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays were the talk of the baseball world. They hit 16 homeruns against the Red Sox in the ALCS. However in the World Series, the power was zapped from the players and many struggled to just hit the ball. Thus the Rays lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. For 14 seasons, the Atlanta Braves won their division, yet only once did the team come away with a World Championship.

This season, like every other postseason, there have been disappointments. First have been the first two opponents of the NY Yankees: the Minnesota Twins and the LA Angels. Both teams were lacking the fundamentals and is the main reason they are home and the Yankees are in the World Series. Both teams were victimized by fielding errors, baserunning blunders, and too many walks by the pitching staffs. The Twins made 2 errors in the Yankees three-game sweep. Poor baserunning plagued the Twins in the three games, like Nick Punto’s base running gaffe of trailing too far away from third base (and getting thrown out). The Twins combined to walk 9 batters in the ALDS. The Angels made 5 errors combined in Games 1 and 2, costing them both games in NY. They also had 2 errors in the 8^th inning of Game 6. In the two games the Angels won, they committed zero errors. The Angels also had a few baserunning blunders, including Vladimir Guerrero getting picked off of first on a shallow pop fly to right field and Bobby Abreu rounding second base too far. The Angels pitchers also walked too many, including the nine in the deciding Game 6. The Angels pitchers combined to walk 38 batters in the ALCS. The St. Louis Cardinals also had their problems: Matt Holliday’s error (dropping a fly ball to left) in Game 2 of the NLDS, which led to the Dodgers comeback win; 11 walks by Cardinals pitchers in 3 games; and the Cardinals inability to come up with a clutch hit.

Second, the Angels offense in the ALCS against the Yankees was meager. Except for Guerrero, Jeff Mathis (who didn’t play in every game), Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick (who also didn’t play in every game), and Torii Hunter, the offense was nonexistent. The top of the order (Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu) combined to hit around .146 with just 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. They also struck out 11 times. If the top of the order is not getting on base, the middle of the order (Guerrero and Hunter) will not have anyone to drive in. When the Angels did get men on base, like in Game 2 of the ALCS, they could not drive them in, stranding 16 runners in Game 2 alone.

Third, most of the closers throughout the postseason have been disappointing. Despite the Holliday miscue in left, Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin still had 2 outs with just one runner on base in Game 2 of the NLDS. He could not get the job done, resulting in a blown save and loss. Joe Nathan of the Twins came in the bottom of the 9^th in Game 2 of the ALDS and imploded, giving up a game-tying 2-run homerun to Alex Rodriguez. The game went into extra innings and the Twins lost a game they seemed to have in the bag going into the 9^th inning. In both Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS, Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street could not finish the game. In Game 3 of a tie game, Ryan Howard hit a sacrifice fly to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-5 lead. In Game 4 and handed a 4-2 lead in the 9^th, Street gave up a Howard 2-run double to tie the game and a bloop single to Jayson Werth to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead, sending the Phillies to the NLCS. In Game 3 of the ALCS, Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon was handed a 6-4 lead in LA. However, he could not get the third out without giving up the lead, sending the Angels to the ALCS. After the Angels had taken the lead in 11^th inning of Game 2 of the ALCS, Angels closer Brian Fuentes quickly gave up the lead as A-Rod homered off of him to tie the game at 3-3 and sending the game to further extra innings…a game later won by the Yankees.

This leads to the fourth disappointment, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen versus the Phillies. Yes closer Jonathon Broxton blew another game (Game 4) to the Phillies in the NLCS but he was hardly the only one. Broxton yet again had to face pinch-hitter Matt Stairs but this time walked him, leading to Jimmy Rollins’ walk-off hit in the bottom of the 9^th. Dodgers setup man George Sherrill couldn’t repeatedly get hitters out. In his two innings pitched, Sherrill walked 3 and gave up 2 hits and 3 runs. Ronald Belisario pitched 3.1 innings, giving up 5 hits and four runs. Ramon Troncoso was the only solid member that came out of the bullpen, pitching 3 shutout innings, though he walked 3. Chad Billingsley pitched out of the bullpen and gave Joe Torre a solid 3+ innings, though he gave up 2 runs. Even starter Clayton Kershaw, who pitched poorly in Game 1 of the NLCS, was victimized out of the bullpen in Game 5 (2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP).

The final disappointment so far has been the offense from the Yankees’ Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher. Yes the two have been playing great defense at first base and right field, respectively. Teixeira has saved many errors with his stretching for throws at first base and Swisher has made some diving catches, even doubling off the Angels Guerrero at first base. The offense from the two, especially in the ALCS, has been virtually nonexistent. Teixeira was 6-for-27 with 4 RBI, 3 of which came in Game 5 on a 3-run double. Teixeira also struck out 8 times. Swisher had just 3 hits in 20 at-bats and 0 RBI, along with 7 strikeouts. Swisher had been so clutch for the Yankees all season but has not been able to come up with a big hit in the postseason. These two guys will be needed if the Yankees are to win another World Series title.

Tags:

Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Chad Billingsley, Chone Figgins, Clayton Kershaw, George Sherrill, Huston Street, Joe Nathan, Jonathon Broxton, Jonathon Papelbon, LA Angels, LA Dodgers, Mark Teixeira, Matt Holliday, Minnesota Twins, Nick Swisher, NY Yankees, Ramon Toncoso, Ronald Belisario, Ryan Frankline, St. Louis Cardinals

Angels 7, Yankees 6: At the start of Game 5 of the ALCS, it looked like the Angels were going to blow away the Yankees. Yankees starter AJ Burnett walked leadoff hitter Chone Figgins and allowed a double to Bobby Abreu. Torii Hunter followed with a 2-run single, Vladimir Guerrero followed with a RBI double, and Kendry Morales followed with a RBI single before Burnett got the first out. The three straight hits by Abreu, Hunter, and Guerrero were on three straight pitches. After the first inning, the Angels led 4-0. After the first, both starting pitchers, Burnett and John Lackey, were cruising along until the Yankees finally got to Lackey in the 7th inning. Lackey gave up a double to Melky Cabrera and walked Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter, before getting Johnny Damon for the second out. This would end Lackey’s night, without some argument from him with his manager Mike Scioscia, and began Darren Oliver’s night. On his first pitch to Mark Teixeira, Tex ripped a 3-run double to the left-centerfield gap to close the Angels lead to 4-3. The 3 RBIs were the first for Teixeira in the ALCS. Oliver had been great all season and in the postseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB in the postseason prior to the 7th inning of Game 5). After an intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui drove in Teixeira to tie the game at 4-4, thus ending Oliver’s night. Kevin Jepsen came in and gave up a 2-run triple to Robinson Cano. A six-run 7th inning for the Yankees gave them a 6-4 lead. The fans at Angel Stadium had become quiet (except for the Yankees fans in attendance) and so did the Thunderstix.

The Angels battled back against the combination of Burnett, and relievers Damaso Marte and Phil Hughes. Morales got a base hit off of Hughes with two outs to give the Angels a 7-6 lead. In the 3-run seventh, Abreu had an RBI groundout, his first RBI of the ALCS. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was again second-guessed for not taking out Burnett sooner (like not sending him out for the 7th inning), though in Game 3 he was second-guessed for having too quick of a hook with the relievers. Scioscia went to Game 3 starter Jered Weaver in the 8th inning, and he threw just 11 pitches, striking out both Cabrera and Jeter. The 9th inning was a bit of an adventure for Angels closer Brian Fuentes and the Angeles  fans, but Fuentes managed to go unscathed with the bases loaded, sending the ALCS back to NY for at least Game 6. The Angels Jeff Mathis yet again provided the offense at the bottom of the order, going 3-for-4, and having a hit in 6 straight postseason at-bats.

Game 6 will pit Joe Saunders of the Angels against Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. In his Game 2 start, Saunders pitched 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs. He was the recipient of 3 double plays, which neutralized the 6 hits he gave up. He received a no-decision as the game went into extra innings, a game the Yankees won. In his Game 3 start, Pettitte went into the 7th inning, giving up 3 runs, but received a no-decision as the game went into extra innings, with the Angels winning 5-4. Game 6’s weather forecast is dreary and the Philadelphia Phillies are hoping for the ALCS to go as long as possible to give them an advantage in terms of the pitching staff.

Tags:

AJ Burnett, ALCS, Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Darren Oliver, Hideki Matsui, Jeff Mathis, Jered Weaver, John Lackey, Kendry Morales, Kevin Jepsen, LA Angels, Mark Teixeira, Melky Cabrera, NY Yankees, Phil Hughes, Robinson Cano, Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero