2008 Playoffs: Day 3

The American League took center stage on Day 3 of the Postseason, with all four N.L. clubs traveling to their Game 3 sites. The Junior Circuit picked up the slack with two back-and-forth contests.

Tampa Bay Rays 6 - Chicago White Sox 2

I'm going to take a moment to help Scott Kazmir, with a letter.


Dear White Sox,

Thank you for letting me off the hook. I am sorry to Mr. Cabrera who I had to hit for being a douchebag. In retrospect I should not have done that to the first batter of the day, but I did not expect to have the first runner get on affect me so severely. I had such a hard time finding the strike zone and my rhythm in the first inning that I thought for sure I would be handed an early exit as well as the title of Playoff Schmuck. However, your lack of timely hitting in that first inning allowed me to scrape by only allowing two earned runs. I mean, one solid hit and a sacrifice would have meant three runs, but you did not even do that, and I appreciate it.

I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but I did not have a good slider today, but thankfully your willingness to not pickup my change-up allowed me to battle back and find my rhythm. Alas, I never did find my slider, but I was able to handle your lineup with just my fastball and change-up; and it's all because of you. I appreciate everything you did for me over those 5.1 innings, and I'll never forget your kindness.

Furthermore, leaving 11 men on base over the course of the game was really quite kind of you. If you had been able to string hits together, we would have been in trouble. We, that is to say, the Rays, appreciate you giving us this game. We really did not deserve it, but your kindness would not allow you to take it, and we could never express our love and appreciation for what you did for us. This is our first playoff series ever and it really means a lot to us and our fans... well what few fans we have. Thank you once more and can't wait to see you again.

Love always,
Scott Kazmir
Tampa Bay Rays
Starting Pitcher

Win:Scott Kazmir (1-0 3.38)
Loss:Mark Buehrle (0-1 6.43)
Player of the Game: Chicago White Sox batters for never capitalizing on opportunities.


(How do I follow writing like that? - Dan)


Boston Red Sox 7 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5
Drew's Back from Drew's Back.

So...it was drawn up like this, right? The Red Sox took an early lead, and tried to make a statement. Angels starter Ervin Santana surrendered four early runs led by a towering centerfield shot by Jason Bay. Santana seemed erratic early, and was poised to let this thing slip away before you could scream "Rally Monkey."

That's why we play the entire game.

Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was true to his 2008 form. Insanely high pitch count, excessive amount of runners on base, five innings pitched. Trust me when I say that Red Sox fans were not surprised in the least by his performance. Matsuzaka allowed a first-inning run, driven in by the red-hot trio of Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter. The way they've been swinging the bats over the last two games, you'd think they were Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio.

Though Boston tacked on an insurance run in the fourth to make it 5-1, the Angels kept chipping away. They scored three times over innings four through seven and cut the Red Sox lead to a single run. After Boston reliever Justin Masterson gave up a leadoff triple to Chone Figgins, manager Terry Francona opted to bring in his closer, Jonathan Papelbon.

Let me pause here for a moment to interject with some of my real-time rantings as the bottom of the eighth began:

"Wait, what? Masterson's still in the f***ing game? Where the f*** is Papelbon?"

(Figgins hits the triple to right-center.)

"WHAT THE F*** DID I JUST SAY!? Oh NOW you're bringing in Papelbon. Good f***ing job, Tito."

Back to the story at hand. Papelbon came in, surrendered a sacrifice fly to Teixeira, and the game was tied. Francisco Rodriguez -- the vaunted Angels' closer who came in during the top of the eighth, stayed in to pitch the ninth. I was not optimistic. David Ortiz -- whom we seem to have forgotten for these two games -- took Rodriguez's first pitch (a hanging breaking ball) to deep right-center for two bases and was replaced by pinch-runner Coco Crisp. A ground ball out from Kevin Youkilis later, and J.D. Drew stepped to the plate. On the fourth -- FOURTH -- change-up of the at-bat, Drew smacked what seemed to be a lazy fly to center field. It carried over the wall, and Boston suddenly had a two-run lead. In my exhaustion-induced haze, I thought it was Game 6 of the 2007 A.L.C.S. all over again.

Papelbon shut the door in the ninth, and the Sox headed home with a 2-0 series lead. That's how abrupt and shocking it was. (I couldn't be happier, either.)

Win: Jonathan Papelbon (1-0)
Loss: Francisco Rodriguez (0-1)
Player of the Game: J.D. Drew. Duh.



ON TAP FOR TONIGHT: The National League takes center stage as the Phillies and Dodgers both try to wrap up their series. The American Leaguers are off until Sunday.

2008 Playoffs: Day 2

Say It Ain't Goat.

Billy goat, that is. As a Red Sox fan I learned to live the majority of my life under a baseball hex. Thankfully, over the last four years, that curse has been beaten, spit on, and made fun of. The lovable losers from the north side of Chicago don't seem to have that luxury.

After cruising to their second straight N.L. Central division title, the Cubs now find themselves in familiar territory. They're down two-game-to-none in a best-of-five series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and not even Harry Caray can save them now. I'm not sure how Game 2 got so out of hand, but to paraphrase manager Lou Piniella, the Cubs' last two contests have been the worst all season. Game 2 starter Carlos Zambrano gave up seven runs in six-and-a-third innings in front of a defense that preposterously committed four errors. By the top of the eighth, the Dodgers had stretched the lead to 10-1, and the Wrigley faithful began filing for the doors. The mutters of "wait 'til next year" can already be heard in the apartments and houses surrounding the Windy City.

FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles 10, Chicago 3.
Win: Chad Billingsley (1-0) -- 6.2 IP, ER, 5 H, 7 K, BB.
Loss: Carlos Zambrano (0-1) -- 6.1 IP, 3 ER (7 R), 6 H, 7 K, 2 BB.
Player of the Game: The Billy Goat. Who else?



Where Have You Gone, CC Sabathia?

That streak of starts on three days' rest have seemingly caught up to the burly southpaw. In what could only be described as 'shocking,' given Sabathia's performances as of late, the Phillies managed to score five runs over the first three-and-two-thirds innings, forcing Milwaukee to go to its bullpen. With one swing of the bat -- from Shane Victorino, no less -- the Phightin' Phils seemingly slammed the door on the Brewers' postseason hopes. Victorino launched a second-inning, two-out grand slam deep into the left field stands to put his club up for good.

It's hard to say whether Sabathia's performance was simply due to his massive amount of innings in the second half, or his propensity to fade in the spotlight of the postseason. I suppose it's easy to blame it on his workload. After all, he was on an unprecedented streak of success. This was his fourth straight start on three days' rest, and perhaps we found out why pitchers simply don't do that anymore. After a strong first inning, he looked sluggish and couldn't pinpoint any of his pitches. He even walked opposing pitcher Brett Myers, which would later contribute to Victorino's long ball. Milwaukee now ventures north down 0-2, turning to Dave Bush to save their season. The Phillies send veteran lefty Jamie Moyer to shut the door and send his club to the NLCS.

FINAL SCORE: Philadelphia 5, Milwaukee 2.
Win: Brett Myers (1-0) -- 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 4 K, 3 BB.
Loss: CC Sabathia (0-1) -- 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 4 BB.
Save: Brad Lidge (2)
Player of the Game: Shane Victorino. Biggest hit of his career.



Apparently Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Wilson Alvarez and Jack McDowell Were Unavailable.

Javier Vazquez, Ozzie? You started Javier Vazquez in Game 1 of a postseason series? In a result that surprised no one -- most likely including Ozzie Guillen -- the Tampa Bay Rays hopped all over Vazquez and knocked him out in the fifth inning. Thus ended the White Sox' eight-game postseason winning streak. ... Really? Was anyone else aware of that one? Is that still a legitimate streak if you've missed the postseason for the last two years?

For the Rays, Evan Longoria was the party chairman. He was the band leader, quarterback, prime minister, head chef, czar, captain and CEO all rolled into one. He became the first rookie ever to hit homeruns in each of his first two career postseason at-bats. And boy, were they bombs. He looked calm, cool and collected as if he'd been there a dozen times before. Did I mention that he turns 23 next week? This young star-in-the-making is going to man the hot corner for Tampa for the next decade. Forgive me for gushing after just one game, but Longoria seems to have the poise to soar to great heights in October.

FINAL SCORE: Tampa Bay 6, Chicago 4.
Win: James Shields (1-0) -- 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 K, BB.
Loss: Javier Vazquez (0-1) -- 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 6 K, BB.
Save: Dan Wheeler (1).
Player of the Game: Evan Longoria. Expect to hear that name a few more times this postseason.



KYLE'S POLITICAL ANALYSIS
On Last Night's Vice Presidential Debate

Palin is the fiery young prospect and Biden the old savvy veteran. Palin comes out throwing heat, and Biden can't quite keep up, but with no secondary pitches, Palin could not keep Biden down for long. Eventually he times her fastball, knows its coming and starts knocking her around. Thankfully for the kid, the debate ended, and her overall numbers looked good:

7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 9 K.

Even better than Biden's:
7.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, BB, 3 K.

Biden let up his runs early, but buckled down to give shutout innings at the end. Palin came out shutting down the opposition, but without the repertoire could only keep them at bay for so long. When it comes down to it, you cannot trust someone like Palin in the big game. She's too inexperienced and doesn't know how to pitch quite yet. However, in a few years time, when she understands the league better, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. Biden is a 3 starter. He gives you solid innings, and every time he's in the game you have a chance to win. He's not going to shut anyone out, but he's not going to get knocked around either. Well, remember, these are the VP candidates, and the aces of this staff are going to be Obama or McCain, so I take Biden to be in the rotation and send Palin back to AA (Governor) maybe even try to promote her to AAA (Senate), and see what she can do later. (This all written without interjecting my own political beliefs... personally I think Palin is a grade-A nutjob and should be kept far away from making decisions that effect peoples' lives.)

Can't beat that.



ON TAP FOR TONIGHT:

6:00 PM ET - GAME 2 of the ALDS
Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay leads series 1-0.
CHW SP - Mark Buehrle (0-0)
TAM SP - Scott Kazmir (0-0)

9:30 PM ET - GAME 2 of the ALDS
Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Boston leads series 1-0.
BOS SP - Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-0)
LAA SP - Ervin Santana (0-0)


Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.

2008 Playoffs: Day 1

Man, if yesterday was not enough baseball to get your juices flowing, then you are reading the wrong blog. A trio of games, starting with the greatest pitching performance nobody saw by Cole Hamels, followed up by the worst pitching performance of the day by Ryan Dempster in a game everyone saw on the east coast but nobody on the West Coast, and then the Sox Jon Lester overcoming poor umpiring and awful announcing (what was his pitch count?) to help the Sox beat the Angels. Oh baby, we had baseball so good, that we needed a cigarette after. I'm rubbing October all over myself, and I'm loving it.

Philadelphia Phillies 3 - Milwaukee Brewers 1
The great pitching performance nobody got to see because the MLB decided never to have its games overlap even a little. So this game started at 3 PM EST, and ended tidily around 5:40. The big story of this game was Cole Hamels making the Brewers lineup look absolutely foolish. His line:

Cole Hamels: 8.0IP 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 9K

The Brewers Gallardo pitched all right, allowing only 3R, but they were all unearned. In the bottom of the third, Phillies catcher singled and Cole Hamels went to bunt him along to second. However, Rickie Weeks botched the play and Hamels was safe at first. Gallardo retired the next two batters (Rollins and Werth) but gave up a 2-Run double to Utley and walked the next three batters in what should have been (I think) an earned run. But it remained unearned and the Phillies went up 3-0 and never looked back. Lidge came on for the 9th inning and gave up a double, a single, a walk and a run because of it, however struck out three and got the save. Hell of a game, but thanks MLB, no one with a job, and only kids in school on the East Coast, got to watch that one live.

Player of the Game: Cole Hamels for the shut-down performance of the day

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 - Chicago Cubs 2
Ryan Dempster was one strike away from getting out of the 5th inning unscathed, despite loading the bases. One pitch, and he could have helped his team retain a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the 5th. However, he threw an inside change-up to James Loney who took him yard, and suddenly, a 2-run lead was transformed to a 2-run deficit. The Dodgers never relinquished the lead, and Mark DeRosa's 2-run homerun in the 2nd inning off of Derek Lowe was all the offense the Cubbies could muster. The Cubs did manage to get 9 hits, but could never string them together. Actually, the Dodgers had a hard time stringing hits together too. So how did they score 7 runs? Well let's look at Dempster's pitching line.

Ryan Dempster: 4.2IP 4H 4R 4ER 7BB 2K

Yes, 7 walks. In fact, Dempster walked the bases loaded before giving up Loney's big shot. As a pitcher, you cannot walk 7 guys and expect to win if your name is not Daisuke Matsuzaka. Aside from that, Manny hit one of those homeruns only he or Vlad Guerrero could possibly take out of the park, and Dodgers' catcher Russel Martin hit a 9th inning icing-on-the-cake homerun, and the Cubs could never get it going. Lowe looked very good in his first playoff start of the year, but he has pretty good playoff numbers and we expected that. What we did not expect was Dempsters meltdown at home. The Cubs will look to Carlos Zambrano to get it going in game 2.

Player of the Game: James Loney for a clutch homerun


Boston Red Sox 4 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1
Ladies and Gentlemen: Allow me to introduce, Bona Fide Playoff Ace, Jonathan LESTER!!!! (pause for applause). In what was the most predictable performance by anyone who has watched this kid pitch this year, and in the playoffs last year, Lester threw 117 pitches over 7 innings and held the "new Angels offense" to only 1 run. Lester had a hard time of it, and fell behind a lot of hitters early in the game... and middle... in fact every inning but his last he seemed to fall behind hitters. But he fought through, got outs, and solidified his position as playoff-ace-caliber.

A couple more notes about his start (because we here were very impressed).
1) The umpire's strike zone was all over the place.
2) Lester got his fastball up to 97MPH in the 7th inning. Wow.
3) Did you see that (legitimately) knee-buckling curveball he threw to Garrett Anderson? Where Lester and Anderson both started heading to the dugout only to not have it called a strike. WTF mate!?

But not to take away from John Lackey, who also threw a nice game. He had great command of his two seam fastball away to right handers and was nipping at that corner all game to start hitters off. He also had a nice curveball that had Sox hitters chasing for over 6 innings. But eventually, he threw a high fastball that Jason Bay did not miss and after two strikeouts, Bay could circle the bases joyfully. The starters' lines:

Jon Lester: 7.0IP 6H 1R 0ER 1BB 7K
John Lackey: 6.2IP 4H 2R 2ER 3BB 5K

After Lester's 7 strong innings Masterson came out for the 8th. That's right, not Okajima, not Delcarmen, not Lopez, they went with the kid. Masterson gave up a base hit to Vlad Guerrero (OK) and a bloop single to Hunter. But on said bloop single, Guerrero got greedy and a heads up play by Youkilis had him gunned out trying to go from first to third. Masterson would get Howie Kendrick to ground out to end the inning. And a Papelbon 9th, and finally at 1:30AM, Sox fans could go to sleep.

Player of the Game: Jon Lester for a gutsy 7 innings


On Tap For Today

2:30 PM: Chicago White Sox send out Javier Vazquez and his 9.53 postseason ERA to face the AL East Champion Rays who counter with James Shields. Unfortunately, if you have a 9-5 job like most of America, you will not see this game.

6:00 PM: The Brewers send out ace CC Sabathia who looks to continue his dominance of NL hitting while the Phillies send out (dear God) Brett Myers. Advantage: Brewers.

9:30 PM: The Cubs send out Carlos Zambrano in a must-win game at home. The Dodgers look to go back to LA up 2-0, and send out 24-year old Chad Billingsly. Unfortunately ,if you have a 9-5 and need to get up to travel to work, you will either be in pain all day because you watched this game in its entirety, or you won't get to see the end. I'm gearing up for pain tomorrow.



Written by Kyle "Do October Baseball, Not Drugs" Baxter

Staff Predictions: 2008 MLB Postseason

We'll focus mainly on the divisional round, and then give brief predictions afterward.

KYLE'S PICKS:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Milwaukee Brewers (Wild Card) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (East Champion):

PREDICTION: Philadelphia Phillies in 4

ANALYSIS: Where it's hard to pick against C. C. Sabathia, it's also hard to forget that he has a postseason ERA of 7.17, so I'm withholding judgment on him. As for the others in the rotation, Dale Svenum is going with Gallardo in game 1, choosing talent over proven pitching. After C. C. this team does not have a lot of pitching, including a very shaky bullpen. Philadelphia also has a shaky starting rotation, with Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer (second!?), and either Joe Blanton (umm...), Brett Myers (really!?), Kyle Kendrick (oh no) or Adam Eaton (NO NO NO). However, despite their less-than-solid rotation, the Phils have a bullpen that has been rock solid all year. Add in an offense that puts up good numbers with Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Burrell in the center of the lineup, I'm going with Philly in this one.

Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles (West Champion) vs. Chicago Cubs (Central Champion)

PREDICTION: Chicago Cubs in 5

ANALYSIS: Sticking with the mantra that pitching wins championships (and believing that to be true), I have to like the Dodgers. This matchup will be full of excellent pitching, but I just like Lowe, Billingsly, and Kuroda right now more than Zambrano (too emotional), Dempster (too many innings) and Harden (poor playoff stats). Also, the Dodgers have a stronger, deeper bullpen, and a little guy named Manny hitting like a maniac, Kemp and Ethier who have been hitting well, and a manager who knows how to win playoff games. Not that Torre is a better manager than Lou, but a bad manager here could cost you the series (::cough:: GRADY LITTLE ::cough::).

However, I'm picking the Cubs. The Cubs pitching can hold them through the 6th inning where Samardzija-Marmol-Wood can close out the game. But we also have the Cubs who have a much more potent lineup than the Dodgers. The Dodgers have some bats, but the Cubbies can hurt you 1-8 (and 1-9 if Zambrano is in the game). Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, Alfanso Soriano, etc. are just too many offensive weapons. So I predict a closely contested series and a lot of low scoring games, but when pitching is tight, you can look at batting and leadership. I think the Cubbies eke this one out with a 3-1 5th game victory.

And I want to note that it's a sin that the two best teams in the NL (in my opinion) are playing in the NLDS.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Boston Red Sox (Wild Card) vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (West Champion)

PREDICTION: Boston Red Sox in 5

ANALYSIS: Perhaps this is a hometown pick, but I like Lester, Beckett, and Dice-K more than Lackey, Santana, and Saunders in the playoffs. Trying to look at it objectively, we see the #2 offense in the league, and the #4 Pitching (.02 behind LAA) for Boston, and #10 offense and #3 pitching for Anaheim. In perspective - Boston scored 80 more runs than Los Angeles but let up only 1 more run. Similar starting pitching though I've said I like Boston's starters a hair more, because they are proven (Santana and Lackey have struggled in recent playoff series, where Lester and Beckett are BEASTS). The bullpens both look solid: Papelbon-Okie-Masterson-Lopez-Delcarmen vs. KRod-Shields-Oliver-Arredondo-Speier(bad year), but Boston's is a shade deeper, though both have been a little up and down, especially in the playoffs. With the logic from the last pick, I'm going with Boston here. Similar pitching, Boston scores runs at a better clip (even with Texeira and Hunter in the Angels' lineup).


Chicago White Sox (Central Champion) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (East Champion)

PREDICTION: Tampa Bay Rays in 4

ANALYSIS: Yes, I like Tampa. They're young, excited, spunky, with good pitching, timely hitting, a solid bullpen and they're not that "just happy to be here" Cinderella team. Despite Chicago's decent bullpen, they do not have the starters to take this series. Vazquez and Contreras have struggled, and Buehrle has not been consistent. Danks, who has been their best pitcher this year, just went on three days rest, so he won't be pitching until Game 2 at best (on three days rest again, in that case). The Rays pitching, on the other hand, has kept them afloat all season, including coming up with good performances when their team needed them the most. The Rays also have a knack for late heroics, which is a talent you cannot teach a team, and that is very important come playoff time.


ALCS
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox: Tampa Bay Rays in 7 (This will be the most exciting series of the playoffs)

NLCS
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs: Chicago Cubs in 4 (Yup, predicting a sweep for this one)

WORLD SERIES
Chicago Cubs vs. Tampa Bay Rays

PREDICTION: Chicago Cubs in 5 (Cubs fans... welcome to the other side! Come on in, the water's fine.)

MVP: Derrek Lee in one of those - Who do we give this to? MVPs (see last year when Lowell won it though it could have just as easily been Jacoby Ellsbury). There'll be no standout, but Lee will have a good series.


A few notes:
I think that LAD and BOS are the only two teams that can beat the Cubs this year. I keep wavering in my feelings during the NLDS series, but I think if they can get by the Dodgers, you'll see them in the World Series.
I think Boston has proven weak against the Rays, especially in close games (see "Another One Run Loss"), and that will hurt them in the playoffs.

DAN'S PICKS:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Milwaukee Brewers (Wild Card) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (East Champion)
PREDICTION: Brewers in Five

ANALYSIS: This one actually has a pretty simple formula behind it. CC Sabathia tosses Games 2 and 5. CC Sabathia wins Games 2 and 5. Milwaukee needs only to capture one more game, and I think they will. They'll squeak by in Game 3 at home with Dave Bush on the mound – in a high-scoring affair – and close it out with Sabathia in Philadelphia. I understand CC's sordid history in the postseason, being far less than impressive against New York and eventual champion Boston last year. But it's hard to ignore what he's done since landing in Milwaukee. This is a man with a sub-2.00 ERA since entering the National League. He's throwing complete game shutouts left and right. He can't be beaten, and he won't be beaten.

As for the Phillies, the much-heralded champions of the N.L. East – they didn't have it last year and they don't have it this year. Their only postseason-caliber starter is Cole Hamels, and I'm not all that confident he'll take Game 1 at home. Hamels is on the brink of being a superstar pitcher, but he can't seem to jump over the line like Sabathia has. One advantage I'll give the Phightin' Phils is the bullpen. Anchored by Brad Lidge, they can shut a game down if they need to. Milwaukee can't say the same. Eric Gagne should tell you all you need to know.
Milwaukee should win a very competitive series in five games. Sabathia will lead the Brew Crew to the League Championship Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers (West Champion) vs. Chicago Cubs (Central Champion)
PREDICTION: Cubs in Four

ANALYSIS: Everyone wants to talk about Manny-this and Manny-that. Focus your attention on Ramirez and you'll miss the show being put on by the class of the National League: the Chicago Cubs. Behind a sparkling rotation featuring Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden, the Cubs are poised to make an historic postseason run. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez are solid in the middle of the Chicago lineup, and will hammer the Los Angeles arms.
And plus…2008 is the Cubs' time to shine. No more billy goats, no more Bartman. They start making a statement in a strong, convincing four game victory over the Dodgers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Boston Red Sox (Wild Card) vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (West Champion)
PREDICTION: Red Sox in Four

ANALYSIS: Would it be considered an upset if the Red Sox beat the Angels? Would it be considered an upset if the defending World Series Champions defeat a team they haven't lost a postseason game to since 1986? Friends, the answer is a resounding 'Yes.'

Lowell has been beaten up. So has Drew. As of last Friday, add ace Josh Beckett to that list. (Don't worry, Sox fans. He'll be on the mound in Game 3 with bells on.) They lost Ortiz for much of the year. Matsuzaka missed several starts. Tim Wakefield was battling back issues. Lugo has been out since…I can't remember when. Schilling has gone MIA. All that…and they only lost the division by two games. TWO. The Red Sox finished with 95 wins, the third-highest mark in the American League. They had more wins than any National League team but one (the beloved Cubbies).

And now, for the most part, Boston has returned to order. Minus Schilling and Lugo, everyone seems to be back (no pun intended, Wake). Jon Lester has emerged as the star everyone hoped and expected he'd be. Daisuke Matsuzaka went the entire season and only suffered three losses (one on the final weekend of the season).

Yes, I understand that the Angels' offense is dangerous with the addition of Mark Teixeira. I understand that their bullpen is throwing out of its mind right now. I understand that they finished with the American League's best record. I understand that they went 8-1 against Boston this season.

The Red Sox are healthy, experienced, and poised to make another run. Show me the team that can defeat Lester, Matsuzaka and Beckett.

Chicago White Sox (Central Champion) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (East Champion)
PREDICTION: Rays in Four

ANALYSIS: In short, the White Sox are running on fumes. The Rays will carry their success from the season into the first round and get by Chicago rather easily. The White Sox don't even have a starter set past Game 1 (Javier Vazquez, by the way). The likes of Shields, Kazmir and Sonnanstine should do the job just fine for Tampa Bay. I'll give the White Sox a game here out of respect.

League Championship Predictions

National League
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs
PREDICTION: Cubs in Six

American League
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
PREDICTION: Red Sox in Five

World Series Predictions
Chicago Cubs (NL Champion) vs. Boston Red Sox (AL Champion)
PREDICTION: Red Sox in Seven
MVP: Jon Lester (BOS)

Playoffs Set

The White Sox won a thrilling 1-0 game against the Minnesota Twins, and will travel to Tampa Bay for the first game of the playoffs Thursday. Chicago's run was scored on a 7th inning rocket by Jim Thome off of Minnesota pitcher Nick Blackburn. Blackburn had a fantastic outing with 6.1 IP -4H-1 ER-3BB-3K . Despite his good outing, Blackburn was outpitched by John Danks who's line was fantastic: 8IP-2H-0 ER-3BB-4K. Bobby Jenks closed out the game by pitching a perfect 9th, with some help by a fantastic catch by Brian Anderson for the final out of the game. Anderson was in as a pinch runner for Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey had a big play in the 5th inning, when he threw a bullseye to the plate, gunning down Michael Cuddyer. The outfield assist, nullified Cuddyer's leadoff double, and kept the game scoreless. With the game ending 1-0, the play proved to be bigger than we even thought at the time.


A couple more points:

The game was the lowest scoring one game playoff (obviously) as well as the fewest hits (7).

Cal Ripken predicted Jim Thome's homerun. Got to love that.

So the playoffs are set, we know who's playing, and the VendorBall staff is excited for some October baseball. Playoff predictions? Oh we got 'em, and they're coming tomorrow.

Updated by Kyle "October Cream" Baxter

Breaking News: Well, well, Lo-well

Reports today say that third basemen Mike Lowell took 30-35 groundballs at third, and looked "fantastic". After taking the field reps, he was seen jovially hugging the coaching staff and goofing around - a good indication that he is feeling better from his partially torn labrum in his right hip (note: NOT a shoulder injury). He looked especially good moving laterally, which was causing him pain in the past. This coming after a smooth pain-free batting practice session yesterday. Signs look good for Lowell partaking in the October festivities.

J.D. Drew also took some fielding today, continuing to strengthen his legs after missing a lot of time starting in mid-August due to an ailing back. All reports indicate that he will play, especially after a successful optional batting practice session yesterday.

Update by Lowell Mill Worker: Kyle Baxter

2008 Regular Season Awards: Staff Picks

In what will become an annual tradition (for all sports), the VendorBall staff is proud to present its picks for the 2008 Major League Baseball Regular Season Awards. Feel free to leave comments and debate our decisions.

AMERICAN LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Dan Picks:

1. Dustin Pedroia, Boston (WINNER)
2. Justin Morneau, Minnesota
3. Kevin Youkilis, Boston

Kyle Picks:

1. Kevin Youkilis, Boston (WINNER)
   
2. Joe Mauer, Minnesota
3. Dustin Pedroia, Boston

NATIONAL LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Dan Picks:

1. CC Sabathia, Milwaukee (WINNER)
2. Albert Pujols, St. Louis
   
3. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles
   

Kyle Picks:

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis (WINNER)
   
2. CC Sabathia, Milwaukee
   
3. Hanley Ramirez, Florida

AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG
Dan Picks:

1. Roy Halladay, Toronto (WINNER)
2. Cliff Lee, Cleveland
   
3. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles of Anaheim
   

Kyle Picks:

1. Roy Halladay, Toronto (WINNER)
2. Cliff Lee, Cleveland
3. Jon Lester, Boston

NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG
Dan Picks:

1. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (WINNER)
2. CC Sabathia, Milwaukee
   
3. Brandon Webb, Arizona
   

Kyle Picks:

1. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (WINNER)
2. Johan Santana, New York
   
3. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Dan Picks:

1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay (WINNER)
2. Alexei Ramirez, Chicago
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston

Kyle Picks:

1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay (WINNER)
2. Armando Galarraga, Detroit
   
3. (tie) Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston; Alexei Ramirez, Chicago

NATIONAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Dan Picks:

1. Geovany Soto, Chicago (WINNER)
2. Kotsuke Fukudome, Chicago
3. Joey Votto, Cincinnati

Kyle Picks:

1. Geovany Soto, Chicago (WINNER)
2. Joey Votto, Cincinnati
3. Kotsuke Fukudome, Chicago

Breaking News -- One Giant Pain in the Ace.

After last night's victory over the Yankees, Terry Francona revealed that Josh Beckett would not be starting Game 1 of the Division Series. Why? Beckett apparently suffered an oblique strain during his regular side session on Friday.

The Red Sox medical staff has reassured Francona and the team that Beckett's injury wasn't as serious as feared. Francona was so optimistic that the possibility of Beckett throwing in Game 2 was discussed, then later dismissed for precautionary reasons.

Coming from a Sox fan, I can only say one thing -- we'd better split those first two games in Anaheim.

LATER TODAY: Dan and Kyle post their picks for the 2008 Regular Season Awards.

Posted by Dan Zappulla, VendorBall Columnist.