American League
Oakland A’s vs. Detroit Tigers
David’s around the world rejoice. The two teams picked to sink in the AL Division Series defeated their Goliaths in style this weekend.
The Oakland Athletics finally broke its playoffs jinx by sweeping Minnesota in three games. The A’s took it to the Twins, out-pitching and out-defending the Central champs. Their opponent in the ALCS will be the Detroit Tigers, whose stellar pitching silenced the New York Yankees and shocked the baseball world by taking the series in four games.
The A’s finally exorcised its playoffs ghosts in the division series. While effective pitching was always their mantra, some clutch hits from the “Big Hurt” Frank Thomas and Marco Scutaro along with superb defence from Eric Chavez and Mark Kotsay finally sealed the deal. In game one, the A’s proved it was possible to beat Cy Young Award-winner Johan Santana in the Metrodome, taking the series opener 4-3 with two homers courtesy of Thomas. In game two, Twin’s gold-glover Torii Hunter ill-advisedly tried catching a sinking line drive by Kotsay, turning a centre-field single into an inside-the-park home run. The A’s won 5-2.
In the past, being ahead two games to nil is a position where the A’s have often come apart at the seams. Since 2000, the A’s were 0-9 in series-clinching games, famously blowing two 2-0 game leads against the Yankees in 2001 and Red Sox in 2003. However, the A’s seized on the Twins’ starter Brad Radke’s bum shoulder, winning the deciding game 8-3.
The Tigers’ tepid regular season finish was brought to reality when the Yankees clobbered them 8-4 in game one. But Detroit fought back in game two, as pitchers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya brought the heat, their fastballs clocking in at 100 and 102 mph respectively, scorching Yankee bats en route to a 4-3 victory. In game three, starter Kenny Rogers pitched his best game in the playoffs to date as he shut down the powerful New York lineup through 7 2/3 innings. The Tigers won 6-0.
Former A’s prospect, and now Tiger ace Jeremy Bonderman pitched a near complete game, starting off with five perfect innings. The Yankee bats were quieted again as the Tigers stunned the Yankees to take the clincher 8-3.
So how do the A’s and Tigers stack up? In the regular season, the Tigers won the series 5-4, and they had the best pitching staff in baseball with an ERA of 3.84. They also send to the mound Rogers, who sports a 21-7 lifetime record against Oakland. Couple this with the Athletics’ sordid hitting, .260 as a team in the regular season and sixth worst in the league, and one would figure that Oakland’s days are numbered.
But where the A’s kick it up a notch is their pitching staff. While not as star-studded as past years, they do have 16-game winner Barry Zito scheduled to pitch in game one, 2004 Cy Young-winner Esteban Loazia in game two, and the two young guns in Rich Harden and Dan Haren in three and four.
The series might come down to the teams’ bullpens, since both have been stellar all year. The Tigers are loaded with closer Todd Jones (77 saves in the past two years) and set-up man Joel Zumaya (1.94 ERA), while the A’s have last year’s rookie of the year, Huston Street (37 saves).
This match-up is as even as it gets, but the A’s past post-season experience pushes them past the Tigers’ young flamethrowers.
Prediction: A’s in seven.
National League
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Another great match-up is in store between the seasoned Cardinals and the youngster Mets. The Mets have looked solid all year, leading the NL East for over half the year, thanks to a stellar lineup featuring Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and David Wright.
In the division series, the Mets swept the Dodgers, prevailing 6-5 in game one with key hits from Delgado and Wright. The outcome might have been different had there not been some bonehead running by the Dodgers’ JD Drew and Jeff Kent, who were both out-gunned at home plate on the same play.
In game two, veteran playoff pitcher Tom Glavine in his first postseason game as a Met, pitched six shutout innings as the Mets silenced Los Angeles 4-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. In game three, the Mets hit Greg Maddux early and hard, as New York scored three in the top of the first. The Dodgers clawed back to lead 5-4 after five. Then the big bats of the Mets showed up, as Delgado, Reyes, Beltran and Wright shellacked the Dodgers bullpen to win the game 9-5, taking the series.
The St. Louis Cardinals, who stumbled their way into the playoffs with an 83-78 record, began their playoff story in San Diego. Albert Pujols continued his epic form with a patented pitch-soaking two-run homer, while last year’s Cy Young-winner Chris Carpenter paced the Cards with six innings of one-run baseball, leading St. Louis to a game one 5-1 win. Game two featured a pitching duel between Jeff Weaver and former Blue Jay David Wells, but Pujols and Jim Edmonds came up with key RBI singles in the fourth inning to squeak past the Padres 2-0. The sweep was adverted, as the Padre pitching of Chris Young and Trevor Hoffman combined to quiet the Cards to one run, keeping San Diego’s hopes alive with a 4-1 win. It was a short-lived gasp, however, as the Cards took game four with a four-run sixth inning to win the game 6-2, taking the series 3-1.
So how do the Mets and Cards fare when pitted against one another? The Mets won the regular season series 4-2 and swept the Cards in New York, where they hold the advantage again in this series. However, St. Louis has immense post-season experience, having been there over five of the past six years, most notably as the 2004 World Series runner-up.
There are lingering questions about the Mets’ pitching staff, as Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez are off the post-season roster. Glavine is the only pitcher with a post-season pedigree, but he’ll be trying to out-pitch the stellar Carpenter, likely making his presence a wash. Where New York might have a slight advantage is in the bullpen, with fierce thrower Billy Wagner closing and a plethora of experienced pitchers in Chad Bradford, Jorge Julio and Guillermo Mota to set him up.
While St. Louis has fields the two best players in the series in Carpenter and Pujols, New York’s overall depth and speed will sprint them to victory. Outfielder So Taguchi was the Cardinal leader in stolen bases at 11, but the Mets have four who surpass that number, led by Reyes’ 64. Look for New York to put the pressure on early, as manager Willie Randolph gives his youngster the green light to race the bases. With Beltran, Delgado, and Wright, this team has the power to bring him home.
Prediction: Mets in 6
