- For most of his baseball coverage on ESPN Radio, Michael Kay has been stating that he thinks it was a mistake for the Yankees to play to avoid Cliff Lee in the opening round of the 2010 MLB Playoffs. He said it was a mistake to underestimate the Minnesota Twins, and to give up home-field advantage.
Well, after the first four and a half games of the playoffs, I think we can all say that smart money is to avoid the best pitcher in the short series. And if you don’t believe me, ask the Rays or the Reds how their first playoff game this year went.
Look, I’m not sure I understand it either. But the Twins just seem to have a terrible time with the Yankees. No matter what they do, the Bronx Bombers are their kryptonite. Even when they catch a break – and they caught two last night, with CC Sabathia having a shaky outing and the potential game-ending catch by Greg Golson that was ruled a trap, bringing the tying run to the plate with 2 outs – they can’t finish them off.
This probably has something to do with the fact that Francisco Liriano is not fully ready to be a Lee/Halladay/Sabathia-type ace, and Carl Pavano is still Carl Pavano. In order to succeed in the postseason, you need shutdown pitching, or at least three weeks’ worth of shutdown pitching.
Which is exactly what Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay provided for their teams, and Liriano did not. Lee’s dominant performance gave the Rangers all the momentum, and the Yankees also carry a ton of momentum after their now-typical comeback victories against the Twins.
And that, Mr. Kay, is why you want no part of a dominant pitcher in a 5-game series.
- The Rays are toast. And while a comeback from an 0-2 deficit is not impossible, when you don’t have a functional offense against good-to-great starting pitching, you’re toast.
The Rays have 8 hits in the two games, and only one run. As long as the Rangers continue to pitch to contact and don’t walk themselves into trouble, I don’t see the Rays turning it around on their trip to Arlington, and a quick series win would do wonders for the confidence of the overall young Rangers.
- Lee probably thought he had quite the opening performance to the playoffs. 7 innings of one-run ball against one of the best offenses in the regular season.
Then Roy Halladay tossed a no-hitter, allowed one walk, and had one ball hit hard all night.
That, my friends, is the definition of stealing the show.
There’s nothing else I can say that hasn’t been said about Halladay, but what a way to start your first postseason appearance.
- That noise you heard was a collective sigh of relief from the Bronx. Andy Pettitte had a masterful start in Game 2, and really takes a ton of pressure off the rest of the Yankee staff. He had a rough 2nd inning, but only gave up one run, and made one mistake, a solo homer to Orlando Cabrera, in 7 innings, only allowing the Twins the two runs and five hits.
And who would’ve thought that Lance Berkman would be the key guy offensively, DH-ing out of the 8-hole? A homer to give the Bombers a lead, then a long double to break a 2-all tie, and you have the offensive player of the game.
- Not that anyone should’ve thought any differently, but expect another pitching duel for Game 1 between the Giants and the Braves. Tim Lincecum is obviously the known quantity, but don’t rule out Derek Lowe, who has the postseason pedigree and has been pitching magnificently of late (5-0, 1.17 ERA in September).
- Not to dump on them any more than the national media will, but why would Joe Maddon and Ron Gardenhire decide it was a good idea to get thrown out of a playoff game? Each had a call at the plate go against them, then were followed with big hits (Michael Young’s three-run bomb after he did swing at what should have been strike three; Berkman’s go-ahead double after a close call on a ball). The question is: Aren’t you done if you have to try and rally your team to try and prevent from losing the first two games of a playoff series at home?
Note to the Rays fans who were chanting “Replay!” after Young’s homer… Maybe your team will need to score before you worry about what really amounts to insurance runs?
Okay, I’ll be nice… The call was terrible, and Young should’ve been out on strikes. However, I really can’t see MLB using replay to rule on check-swings. Maybe something like what the NFL is trying to accomplish with microchips in the football that would indicate if the ball crossed the goal line?
- I know there are plenty of teams that could assuredly use him, but wouldn’t Cliff Lee be a tremendous fit in Cincinnati? The Reds could really use that true No. 1 guy to take the pressure off their young rotation, and they (normally) are a good-hitting team. And if Lee can pitch in Texas and Philly, I don’t think the Great American Ballpark is going to be any trouble.
- While on the topic of free agents, Brett Gardner might be making the thought of the Yankees going after Carl Crawford this offseason obsolete. And yes, I’m biased, as Gardner might be my favorite guy on the team.
Sometimes it’s hard to root for them, and it would get a little harder if the home-grown leftfielder with a ton of speed, a great glove and a high OBP who sees a lot of pitches gets replaced by… a high-priced free agent leftfielder with a ton of speed, a great glove and a high OBP who sees a lot of pitches.
Is it so much to ask that a team saves money when it doesn’t need to spend it?
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