Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - Championship Series

The ALCS starts Saturday with Doug Fister versus Andy Pettitte. The story of the division series was the non-hitting of A-Rod, Cano, Swisher, Miggy Cabrera, etc. Things change fast in baseball and often the MVP of one series becomes the 100 hitter of the next. On the other hand some of these laggards will be big producers in the ALCS.

The last three World Series champions are in the playoffs. The fourth team is Detroit who last won in 1984. Detroit beat the Yankees last season in the division series in the maximum five games.

The NLCS starts Sunday with Lance Lynn facing Madison Bumgarner.

At this time of the year the regular season wins mean squat. Whichever team comes up with the key hits, makes the key pitch, or makes the run saving defensive play will win the game.

Detroit's rotation is Fister, Sanchez, Verlander and Scherzer. The Yankees counter with Pettitte, Kuroda, Hughes and Sabbathia. By not winning in four games against Baltimore the Yankees have no off days between the series and have to pitch Kuroda on short rest and push CC to game 4. If it gets to a game 7 look for a Verlander, Sabbathia match-up.

San Francisco will send Bumgarner, Vogelsong and Cain to the mound for the first three games. Zito or Lincecum will handle game 4.

St Louis have to replace Jaime Garcia. Lance Lynn, Carpenter, Lohse and Wainwright will start.

Who is going to win?

Posted by Gerry on Saturday, October 13 2012 @ 07:58 PM EDT.

Championship Series - Deja Vu | 17 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

Chuck - Saturday, October 13 2012 @ 09:04 PM EDT (#264491) #

Rick Sutcliffe is the worst. The. Worst.

Magpie - Saturday, October 13 2012 @ 10:18 PM EDT (#264492) #

I was wondering what to cheer for in a playoffs match of four the Original 16.

It's not really the Original 16, of course; no more than hockey's Original 6 are really an original 6. There were plenty of other teams in the early days in both sports. These "originals" are simply the teams that had been in place for a few decades before the first expansion era of the 1960s.

Anyway, I thought that if two of these teams had somehow never faced each other in the post-season... that's the match-up I'd want to see.

You might expect this to eliminate the Yankees, and indeed it does. The Yankees have faced all of the NL's 8 oldest franchises in the World Series, and the Dodgers are the only team they've faced more often than Giants (7 times) and Cardinals (5 times).

The Cardinals have faced 6 of the 8 old AL franchises in the WS; they've missed the Indians and White Sox. Their three match-ups with Detroit have gone down in legend - they feature Dizzy Dean beating Detroit in 1934, the Tigers triumphing over Bob Gibson in 1968, and that odd affair in 2006, featuring Kenny Rogers' dirty hand and the Tigers pitchers making an error in every game.

But I've found our brand new match-up. Tigers and Giants! Detroit has faced the Cubs four times in a WS, but they've never faced the Phillies, the Dodgers, or the Giants. Besides Detroit, the Giants have also never faced the Browns/Orioles in a WS.

AWeb - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 12:15 AM EDT (#264493) #

Deja Vu - A very appropriate title, as it turns out (Ibanez? really? that's really happening now?). I can't stand any of these teams. I'm rooting for injuries and major suspensions all around. Ugh.

Yankees fans vacated the building (if they ever filled it up) really early, in a pretty sad display. Valverde could give up 4 runs to any team right now, including ones that don't even play baseball, don't leave early.

AWeb - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 01:01 AM EDT (#264494) #

Well, so far so good for my rooting interests expressed above, apparently...

Magpie - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 01:22 AM EDT (#264495) #

I'm rooting for injuries

Nah, it really sucks. (Of course, I'm someone who has had approximately 87 ankle injuries. I run from the room shrieking when someone injures an ankle. I avert my eyes. I feel it every time!)

BlueJayWay - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 09:33 AM EDT (#264496) #

Can anyone hold a ninth inning lead in these playoffs?

Gerry - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 11:39 AM EDT (#264497) #

I feel bad for Jeter. It is part of the game but I don't want to see anyone hurt. It's better to see the Yankees win or lose with Jeter playing.

Jeter has had a good injury record. The Ken Huckaby incident was one of his more notable injuries.

Thomas - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 02:29 PM EDT (#264498) #

It's better to see the Yankees win or lose with Jeter playing.

I agree. I don't like seeing any player get hurt. Of course, it's much better to see the Yankees lose with him playing.

Richard S.S. - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 02:41 PM EDT (#264499) #

I would enjoy seeing New York eliminated. Jeter's injury unfortunately assists that.

I believe St. Louis beats San Francisco. They won`t collapse like Cincinnati did.

Chuck - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 04:58 PM EDT (#264500) #

SN1 continues to toggle between the TBS and MLB broadcasts in what is presumably some form of Skinner box- type experimentation. I hear Sutcliffe's blathering and I instinctively press the button for a morphine pellet. A few more innings of the man and it'll be cyanide I'm after.

Mike Forbes - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 05:53 PM EDT (#264501) #

I really feel like Anibal Sanchez will be a Blue Jay next year.

BlueJayWay - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 07:03 PM EDT (#264502) #

Could certainly do worse.

greenfrog - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 07:47 PM EDT (#264503) #

Sanchez's price tag just went up a notch. He's going to have multiple suitors.

BlueJayWay - Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 08:19 PM EDT (#264504) #

That's true. May have priced himself beyond Rogers payroll parameters.

greenfrog - Monday, October 15 2012 @ 09:07 AM EDT (#264507) #

I would rather see the Jays identify the next Doug Fister and acquire him in a trade than start doling out four- and five-year contracts to the likes of Sanchez and Peavy for somewhere around $15M+ ($18M+?) each. (I like the latter two players, but I think those types of contracts for pitchers are a mistake, unless they're named Cain/Hamels/Lee, etc.)

Remember when JPR was outbid by the Royals for Gil Meche (5/$55M), another similar "strong mid-tier" FA starting pitcher?

On the other hand, the other pitcher Ricciardi wanted that off-season (Ted Lilly) did a solid job for the Cubs in the ensuing seasons, so I guess those types of deals can work out. But the risk level is high.

Mike Green - Monday, October 15 2012 @ 09:59 AM EDT (#264510) #

Beltran just keeps going. His career line in the postseason in 133 PAs: .370/.481/.824, 23 W/ 15K and 9-0 stealing bases. He's the Rivera of position players.

...which got me thinking about Beltran and the Hall. He's right in the zone if you use WAR (either fangraphs or BBRef). His BBRef centerfield comps include Dawson and Bobby Bonds, but he was probably a little better than either. Jim Edmonds would be another decent comp, a better hitter but not as good on the basepaths.

Or to put it another way, if Lou Brock is in the Hall of Fame with a big boost from his post-season performance, you'd think Beltran would have a lot of merit to his claim for induction. It would probably help him if he got a chance to shine in the World Series. Beltran vs. Verlander in Game 7 for all the marbles would be a nice ending to this year.

hypobole - Tuesday, October 16 2012 @ 03:36 AM EDT (#264513) #

Speaking of Beltran, there seemed to have been an implication from AA that he had inquired about him this past offseason, but then Beltran stated the 2 sides had never talked.
Well, an interesting tidbit on MLBTR has the Giants Assistant GM stating they had a dozen conversations this past offseason with Beltran's agent. Beltran had previously said the 2 sides had never talked.

And per Dan Knobler of CBS Sports: "Blue Jays had nine different scouts watching Edwin Jackson's final 3 starts this year."

Two of those starts seemed to have had the good EJax, a combined 14.2 IP, 12 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K.
The other start, not so good 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 0 K.

Championship Series - Deja Vu | 17 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.