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.