MLB Playoff Notes: Rangers, Giants Blow Huge Opportunities; Yankees Sweep Away Twins, Expect the Same for Phillies

-From the late Friday game in San Francisco to the early game Saturday, the story of the playoffs looks like it will be who takes advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

The four series are in sharp contrast of each other. In the ALDS, the Twins led in the two games in Minneapolis, but couldn’t put the Yankees away for good, and the Yankees took advantage in their three-game sweep.

At this point, it’s almost sad how the Twins can’t get over the hump against the Bronx Bombers. The biggest issue is that, while their pitching sets up well in the regular season, they don’t have a real shutdown pitcher who can win you two games in a short series. Johan Santana was the closest they had, but they got the extra revenue to spend a few years too late to hang on to him.

-Next up for the Yanks in the ALCS is the winner of the Rangers-Rays series, which is now starting to swing in the Rays’ favor if their bats can stay awake for the next two games. After Ian Kinsler’s solo homer in the bottom of the 7^th gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead, the Rays responded with 5 in the 8^th and 9^th to win 6-3 and force a Game 4.

If the Rangers don’t make it to the World Series – either from losing this series or going to 5 games with a team they had on the ropes – Game 3 will be the game that changed the AL side of the playoffs. Now they have to start Tommy Hunter, who had a great record at 13-4 but a bad second half, going 5-4 with a 5.07 ERA after an 8-0 start, against Wade Davis, who has had a great second half (7-1 with a 3.22 ERA in his last 13 starts).

Either way the series goes, it greatly improves the Yanks’ chances to make the World Series again if this series goes 5. Both teams would have to use their best starters, and neither David Price nor Cliff Lee would be ready to start until Game 3.

-The Reds, meanwhile, caught a huge break in Game 2 when Roy Oswalt was not sharp at all, but much like the Twins, could not finish off the Phillies, blowing a 4-0 lead in losing 7-4. Now they have to go home with their best pitcher, Johnny Cueto, face Cole Hamels, who has excellent career numbers pitching in Cincinnati (3-1, 1.67 ERA in four starts) and also pitched 7-2/3 innings of shutout ball in July against the Reds.

-Give the Braves a lot of credit for making it a series against the Giants by coming back from three down to win Friday in extra innings, 5-4. Now they get their ace, Tim Hudson, going in Game 3 with a chance to win the series at home.

The Giants, meanwhile, might look at this game much like the Rangers will look at Game 3: a blown opportunity for a young team to advance in the playoffs that will hurt their chances to get to the World Series.

-I’ve read some criticism over the decisions to bring in Brian Wilson and Neftali Feliz in the 8^th innings of their teams’ losses. And while you’d obviously want better results than what Wilson and Feliz gave, I don’t see what’s the problem with bringing in your closer for more than 1 inning. Your closer is supposed to be your best reliever, and if you need more than 3 outs from your closer, then you go for it.

-Quick baseball question: Is it really a comeback win if you’re down but tie or take the lead before the 5^th inning, should we really consider it a comeback? And maybe that could even be changed to before the 7^th?

I just find it silly if you give up a run in the 1^st, then take the lead in the 3^rd, that it’s considered a comeback. We should save that for at least the 5^th or later, in my opinion.

MLB Playoff Notes: Aces Deliver, or A Letter to Michael Kay on Why You Avoid Cliff Lee in a Short Series

- 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?