Softbank 11, Seibu 3 (Game 2)
Softbank 6, Seibu 1 (Game3)
And so the evil Kaz Matsui-enabling bastards are vanquished in their home dome by the Softbank Hawks. After winning game one by a 1-0 result, Softbank's bats stepped up and creamed the weak non-Matsuzaka Seibu pitchers. Both games were close through the first couple of innings, then Softbank's superior bats won out on the poor Lions bullpen. It was 5-3 after seven in game two, and then Seibu launched a five run inning in the ninth to make it a laugher, keyed by home runs from Matsunaka and Zuleta. The big key that came out of game two? Never trust anyone named Ishii.
In game three, back-to-back walks in the eighth set up a huge three-run blast by Zuleta to put the game out of reach. Softbank will advance to the second stage of the PL to meet the #1 seed Nippon Ham Fighters. They will have to win three out of four to advance.
Cardinals 6, Padres 2 - Bochy's been ruining this series for the Padres faithful throughout, so it was only fitting that he ruined the one chance he had to get back into the game as well.
With runners on the corners and nobody out in the eighth, and TLR's platoon pitcher system fully in place, a lefty was brought in to turn around Josh Bard. Would Bochy respond by pinch-hitting with Mike Piazza? No, he would let Bard ground out, pinch-hit with Piazza AFTER the fact, and then lead us into a situation where TLR could bring in the right-hander to retire him. Well, at least San Diego fans have the Chargers.
Showing posts with label padres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label padres. Show all posts
Monday, October 09, 2006
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Postseason Recap: The Best Day Ever...for bitter Mets fans.
Tigers 8, Yankees 3 - An Tigers-A's ALCS. I'm sure FOX is banging on MLB's door demanding more seven game series as we speak.
Actually, as we speak, the motions have already begun for the fun offseason ride that the Yankees will be on. Joe Torre, according to the NY Daily News, is expected to step aside so that the Yankees can sign Lou Piniella. I love this move for the Yankees- they do need a fire under their ass. I'm a staunch supporter of the theory that there are only 3 types of managers: players managers, hardass managers, and McCarthy/Weaver level managers. When your team needs a change of pace, you are better off changing between players/hardass managers than you are sitting on your hands.
ESPN has also already started it's ARod watch, and since you asked me, I'll tell you about my dream: I would love Alex Rodriguez to join the San Francisco Giants.
Let me explain. Barry Bonds + Alex Rodriguez = Profit. Two of the best players in baseball history, two people that the media can't leave alone. The Giants will be shedding a ton of salary and are looking to move into a new era, the Yankees could ask for maybe Matt Cain/Noah Lowry, Pedro Feliz (I guess? Let me dream here), some salary filler. This would be ESPN's wet dream. They'd buy an entire Econosuite and tell Pedro Gomez to live there and follow the two of them around all day. Reality TV series. Theres just nothing that wouldn't rule about this. Imagine the two of them trying to interact? Bonds doesn't give a fuck what anyone thinks of him, ARod cares what everyone thinks of him. This has to happen.
Padres 3, Cardinals 1
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST. Trevor Hoffman finally got to see the field, and the Padres won despite stranding fourteen runners. Good to see the monkey off their backs. Game four is a must-win for the Cardinals in this series. If the Cardinals lose, they'll have seen their ace chased off the field and be looking at Jeff Weaver on three days rest or Jason Marquis for a decisive Game five. Luckily for them, I can't see the Cardinals losing this game. Then again, I couldn't see them dropping 30 games in a row to end the season, and that happened too.
Mets 9, Dodgers 5
I didn't watch the last half of this game, but even despite that, I knew this team would win. They've been head and shoulders above the NL for the whole year, and even despite their rotation being Tom Glavine, John Maine, The Run Machine, and Oliver Perez; they have to be favored over either team they face in the NLCS too, I'd think. Shawn Green played like a man who was pissed off that they traded him away instead of Roberto Alomar, which was a big plus. Randolph was pro-active with the pen again, not letting the lead get away; and as a result, the pen has four days off. Teams that start Marlon Anderson in left field in the postseason are 0-3. Just sayin'.
Expect the recaps for the LCS' to be longer, as there will be less teams to cover. Also, expect someone else to have a blog at some point. Maybe.
Actually, as we speak, the motions have already begun for the fun offseason ride that the Yankees will be on. Joe Torre, according to the NY Daily News, is expected to step aside so that the Yankees can sign Lou Piniella. I love this move for the Yankees- they do need a fire under their ass. I'm a staunch supporter of the theory that there are only 3 types of managers: players managers, hardass managers, and McCarthy/Weaver level managers. When your team needs a change of pace, you are better off changing between players/hardass managers than you are sitting on your hands.
ESPN has also already started it's ARod watch, and since you asked me, I'll tell you about my dream: I would love Alex Rodriguez to join the San Francisco Giants.
Let me explain. Barry Bonds + Alex Rodriguez = Profit. Two of the best players in baseball history, two people that the media can't leave alone. The Giants will be shedding a ton of salary and are looking to move into a new era, the Yankees could ask for maybe Matt Cain/Noah Lowry, Pedro Feliz (I guess? Let me dream here), some salary filler. This would be ESPN's wet dream. They'd buy an entire Econosuite and tell Pedro Gomez to live there and follow the two of them around all day. Reality TV series. Theres just nothing that wouldn't rule about this. Imagine the two of them trying to interact? Bonds doesn't give a fuck what anyone thinks of him, ARod cares what everyone thinks of him. This has to happen.
Padres 3, Cardinals 1
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST. Trevor Hoffman finally got to see the field, and the Padres won despite stranding fourteen runners. Good to see the monkey off their backs. Game four is a must-win for the Cardinals in this series. If the Cardinals lose, they'll have seen their ace chased off the field and be looking at Jeff Weaver on three days rest or Jason Marquis for a decisive Game five. Luckily for them, I can't see the Cardinals losing this game. Then again, I couldn't see them dropping 30 games in a row to end the season, and that happened too.
Mets 9, Dodgers 5
I didn't watch the last half of this game, but even despite that, I knew this team would win. They've been head and shoulders above the NL for the whole year, and even despite their rotation being Tom Glavine, John Maine, The Run Machine, and Oliver Perez; they have to be favored over either team they face in the NLCS too, I'd think. Shawn Green played like a man who was pissed off that they traded him away instead of Roberto Alomar, which was a big plus. Randolph was pro-active with the pen again, not letting the lead get away; and as a result, the pen has four days off. Teams that start Marlon Anderson in left field in the postseason are 0-3. Just sayin'.
Expect the recaps for the LCS' to be longer, as there will be less teams to cover. Also, expect someone else to have a blog at some point. Maybe.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Postseason Recap: Five game series are the spawn of the devil
Tigers 4, Yankees 3
Tigers 6, Yankees 0
Funny little thing happened on the way to the Yankees winning the World Series, as they find themselves down 2-1 and sending Jaret Wright to the hill with their playoff lives at stake.
Over at ESPN, we had a bigger split, but the two teams most favored were the Yankees and the Twins. Whoops. I didn't catch most of game two, but I don't think any lineup in the planet was going to put more than six runs in against Kenny Rogers tonight. It's a five game series, and when you play a five game series, these things are bound to happen. Look at these series: Three of the four home teams are losing, and the team that's winning lost two of their best starters and was considered at best a 50/50 proposition against a hot Dodger team. What does that tell us? Nothing matters once you get in a five game series. The sooner MLB figures this out, the sooner we will have the best teams playing deeper into October.
A lot of people are going to point the blame at ARod again for his anemic showing in pinstripes, and you know, rightfully so I guess. But what gets lost up in all his crapulence is that two offseasons ago, the Yankees paid a pretty big price to acquire a stopper for their postseason teams. Randy Johnson has come in, been mediocre in both seasons, and has gotten bombed in two PIVOTAL game threes that have put his team against the wall in back-to-back ALDS'.
Cardinals 2, Padres 0
We have an eighty-three win team here that is one win from the NLCS. And you thought the NL playoffs would lack excitement. The Padres were shutout by Jeff Weaver, which is almost unfathomable. Bruce Bochy really needs to get it through his head that Mike Piazza needs to be starting every game when your team has scored one run in two games.
The deeper question here is: Why didn't anyone else see this coming? Obviously the Cardinals swooned and the Padres were hot, a key factor for people predicting the postseason (This is why the A's were so good in the postseason in 01-03...wait a minute). But, we were really ready to say that a team that starts Geoff Blum at shortstop and Russ Branyan at third base is going to the NLCS? Really? If I were a Cardinals batter I would just slap the ball to that side and hope for the best. It would work most of the time.
Also: Adventures in playoff Bullpen Management.
Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman: one-third of an inning in two games. How does this guy have his job still? I understand it's San Diego and all the owners are too busy living it up in that beautiful city to give a shit, but Bochy has completely fallen asleep at the wheel and cost his team a chance to win at least Game 1 and arguably Game 2 as well.
Mets 4, Dodgers 1
Remember when I told you guys that I hoped Endy Chavez started? Well, that was everything I expected. Not only is he one of the few sparkplugs against left-handers for the Mets, but he actually has the speed and defense to play right-field. Instead of say, Mr. Shawn Green, who has checked out like Roberto Alomar did, minus the head first dives into first base on every play.
This game made me happy. Although we did have to deal with Steve Lyons and Thom Brennaman, who seem to get worse every season. The Mets can't hit lefties blah blah blah. Would it be that hard to give everyone else a chance? This isn't the 1970's anymore. Also, FOX's game presentation continues to be despicable in every imaginable way. Focusing on Chevy billboard ads, zoom ins on every goddamn face, finding every stupid fucking e-list celebrity who ever came to the game (WHOA THERES MATT DILLON! MARY JO HART GOES TO DODGERS GAMES!). I think despite the disparity between every baseball fan's situation, we can put all that aside so we can focus on the worst moment for all of baseball this season: When FOX kept the playoff rights for 7 more years.
A's 8, Twins 3
I'd like to congratulate Jon Raymond on his teams triumphant return to winning postseason series. Since I have nothing to add to this game besides my love of ex-Met Marco Scutaro, I'd like to take on something else here.
Tommy Lasorda commercials. I know it's an obvious (and failing) ploy to get fans of baseball to watch games that don't involve their teams, but I don't think it's doing it for me. Heres what they should've done: Everyone who is a real baseball fan gets sick of this commercial anyway, so instead of airing the commercial normally, have Tommy be featured in every other commercial, then switch the tapes to keep people wondering when they'd see Lasorda again.
Come on, like you wouldn't want to see the dialogue Tommy would have with the Ruby Tuesday's guys. Or John Cougar Mellencamp. Or that chick who gets pissy about them frying green beans. It would be clever, unexpected, and would make people want to watch commercials. Thats exactly why it will never happen.
Tigers 6, Yankees 0
Funny little thing happened on the way to the Yankees winning the World Series, as they find themselves down 2-1 and sending Jaret Wright to the hill with their playoff lives at stake.
Over at ESPN, we had a bigger split, but the two teams most favored were the Yankees and the Twins. Whoops. I didn't catch most of game two, but I don't think any lineup in the planet was going to put more than six runs in against Kenny Rogers tonight. It's a five game series, and when you play a five game series, these things are bound to happen. Look at these series: Three of the four home teams are losing, and the team that's winning lost two of their best starters and was considered at best a 50/50 proposition against a hot Dodger team. What does that tell us? Nothing matters once you get in a five game series. The sooner MLB figures this out, the sooner we will have the best teams playing deeper into October.
A lot of people are going to point the blame at ARod again for his anemic showing in pinstripes, and you know, rightfully so I guess. But what gets lost up in all his crapulence is that two offseasons ago, the Yankees paid a pretty big price to acquire a stopper for their postseason teams. Randy Johnson has come in, been mediocre in both seasons, and has gotten bombed in two PIVOTAL game threes that have put his team against the wall in back-to-back ALDS'.
Cardinals 2, Padres 0
We have an eighty-three win team here that is one win from the NLCS. And you thought the NL playoffs would lack excitement. The Padres were shutout by Jeff Weaver, which is almost unfathomable. Bruce Bochy really needs to get it through his head that Mike Piazza needs to be starting every game when your team has scored one run in two games.
The deeper question here is: Why didn't anyone else see this coming? Obviously the Cardinals swooned and the Padres were hot, a key factor for people predicting the postseason (This is why the A's were so good in the postseason in 01-03...wait a minute). But, we were really ready to say that a team that starts Geoff Blum at shortstop and Russ Branyan at third base is going to the NLCS? Really? If I were a Cardinals batter I would just slap the ball to that side and hope for the best. It would work most of the time.
Also: Adventures in playoff Bullpen Management.
Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman: one-third of an inning in two games. How does this guy have his job still? I understand it's San Diego and all the owners are too busy living it up in that beautiful city to give a shit, but Bochy has completely fallen asleep at the wheel and cost his team a chance to win at least Game 1 and arguably Game 2 as well.
Mets 4, Dodgers 1
Remember when I told you guys that I hoped Endy Chavez started? Well, that was everything I expected. Not only is he one of the few sparkplugs against left-handers for the Mets, but he actually has the speed and defense to play right-field. Instead of say, Mr. Shawn Green, who has checked out like Roberto Alomar did, minus the head first dives into first base on every play.
This game made me happy. Although we did have to deal with Steve Lyons and Thom Brennaman, who seem to get worse every season. The Mets can't hit lefties blah blah blah. Would it be that hard to give everyone else a chance? This isn't the 1970's anymore. Also, FOX's game presentation continues to be despicable in every imaginable way. Focusing on Chevy billboard ads, zoom ins on every goddamn face, finding every stupid fucking e-list celebrity who ever came to the game (WHOA THERES MATT DILLON! MARY JO HART GOES TO DODGERS GAMES!). I think despite the disparity between every baseball fan's situation, we can put all that aside so we can focus on the worst moment for all of baseball this season: When FOX kept the playoff rights for 7 more years.
A's 8, Twins 3
I'd like to congratulate Jon Raymond on his teams triumphant return to winning postseason series. Since I have nothing to add to this game besides my love of ex-Met Marco Scutaro, I'd like to take on something else here.
Tommy Lasorda commercials. I know it's an obvious (and failing) ploy to get fans of baseball to watch games that don't involve their teams, but I don't think it's doing it for me. Heres what they should've done: Everyone who is a real baseball fan gets sick of this commercial anyway, so instead of airing the commercial normally, have Tommy be featured in every other commercial, then switch the tapes to keep people wondering when they'd see Lasorda again.
Come on, like you wouldn't want to see the dialogue Tommy would have with the Ruby Tuesday's guys. Or John Cougar Mellencamp. Or that chick who gets pissy about them frying green beans. It would be clever, unexpected, and would make people want to watch commercials. Thats exactly why it will never happen.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Postseason Recap: Managers clueless as to when to pull their starters
Yesterday in the opening day of the postseason, we had not one, but two dreadful managing moves that arguably cost teams the chance to get back into games:
Cardinals 5 @ Padres 1
In the fifth inning, with it being a 4-0 game already, Padres manager Bruce Bochy intended to pinch-hit Ryan Klesko in for Jake Peavy, but instead the Padres went to the bench 1-2-3. Instead of double-switching in Todd Walker (who he left in after pinch-hitting in the next inning) anyway, he left Peavy out there to give up another run, which ran the game to 5-0, an almost insurmountable deficit. Had he gone to his bullpen after the fifth, remembering that he had a day off tommorow so there was no need to hold anyone back (not that this didn't work out for him, but I'm just saying), he probably could have gotten zeros or thereabouts for the game. If the game was only 4-1 instead of 5-1, he probably wouldn't have pinch-hit with Mark Bellhorn in the one opportunity they really had to get back into the game, as he would've only needed a single to take it to a one-run game instead of an extra-base hit. Once you get into that scenario, who knows what could happen?
Tigers 4 @ 8 Yankees
After scoring three to get back into this game in the top of the fifth, Tigers skipper Jim Leyland (inexplicably reminding me of war vet dad of Mike Cooper) decided to leave Nate Robertson out there for not one extra inning, but two. This after he had already been shelled for five runs in the third. I understand that the Yankees lineup is good enough to score on any pitcher, but giving them a third or fourth crack at Robertson after they had already solved him is inexcusable. Let Jason Grilli get his chance, let Rodney and Ledezma go a few if you have to. There was no reason to let Robertson give up those extra two runs that buried the Tigers under a huge lead again.
I was also pleased to learn that Chien-Ming Wang is a fan of pasta.
We'll be right back, here on the FOX Future Considerations baseball entertainment fun hour, now featuring actual baseball!
WHAT IF A COMEDIAN RAN FOR PRESIDENT?
What if he won?
WAH WAH WAH CAN I MAKE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN MY SECRETARY OF STATE HAHA JUST A TEEEENY JOKE THERE KIDS
WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?
Buck: Oops looks like we missed the actual first pitch of the at-bat and they threw over to first and the ball got away, haha. But at least you got to see that commercial where Chevy said that it was American because they helped haul wood to New Orleans after Katrina. Doesn't that make you want a nice heavy duty car regardless of the fact that it's mad overpriced and not as good as Japanese cars? Haha. It should! Also, buy Budweiser because people like to rub my neck.
McCarver: I KNOW I SURE DO JOE DO YOU WANT TO HELP ME PLAY LEGOS
Athletics 3 @ Twins 2
The game relegated to the noon slot so that FOX could continue it's ongoing YES mk. II transformation was the best of the day, with Johan Santana and Barry Zito (assist to free-swinging Twins) turned in an amazing pitcher's duel that was tense into the very last inning. A lot of people questioned Gardenhire's decision to bring in Crain instead of Nathan or Neshek, and had they done that, we might still be playing baseball right now with how deep the A's and Twins bullpens go. The bigger blunder (shockingly leading to me agree with Joe Morgan), was letting Castillo attempt to steal that bag in the first when Zito was having command problems.
Tune back in tommorow, when I will rant about how stupid people are to think that the Mets are done in the NL without Pedro. Or, alternately, where I rip into people on our team for not hitting Derek Lowe. Either way, it should be fun.
Cardinals 5 @ Padres 1
In the fifth inning, with it being a 4-0 game already, Padres manager Bruce Bochy intended to pinch-hit Ryan Klesko in for Jake Peavy, but instead the Padres went to the bench 1-2-3. Instead of double-switching in Todd Walker (who he left in after pinch-hitting in the next inning) anyway, he left Peavy out there to give up another run, which ran the game to 5-0, an almost insurmountable deficit. Had he gone to his bullpen after the fifth, remembering that he had a day off tommorow so there was no need to hold anyone back (not that this didn't work out for him, but I'm just saying), he probably could have gotten zeros or thereabouts for the game. If the game was only 4-1 instead of 5-1, he probably wouldn't have pinch-hit with Mark Bellhorn in the one opportunity they really had to get back into the game, as he would've only needed a single to take it to a one-run game instead of an extra-base hit. Once you get into that scenario, who knows what could happen?
Tigers 4 @ 8 Yankees
After scoring three to get back into this game in the top of the fifth, Tigers skipper Jim Leyland (inexplicably reminding me of war vet dad of Mike Cooper) decided to leave Nate Robertson out there for not one extra inning, but two. This after he had already been shelled for five runs in the third. I understand that the Yankees lineup is good enough to score on any pitcher, but giving them a third or fourth crack at Robertson after they had already solved him is inexcusable. Let Jason Grilli get his chance, let Rodney and Ledezma go a few if you have to. There was no reason to let Robertson give up those extra two runs that buried the Tigers under a huge lead again.
I was also pleased to learn that Chien-Ming Wang is a fan of pasta.
We'll be right back, here on the FOX Future Considerations baseball entertainment fun hour, now featuring actual baseball!
WHAT IF A COMEDIAN RAN FOR PRESIDENT?
What if he won?
WAH WAH WAH CAN I MAKE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN MY SECRETARY OF STATE HAHA JUST A TEEEENY JOKE THERE KIDS
WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?
Buck: Oops looks like we missed the actual first pitch of the at-bat and they threw over to first and the ball got away, haha. But at least you got to see that commercial where Chevy said that it was American because they helped haul wood to New Orleans after Katrina. Doesn't that make you want a nice heavy duty car regardless of the fact that it's mad overpriced and not as good as Japanese cars? Haha. It should! Also, buy Budweiser because people like to rub my neck.
McCarver: I KNOW I SURE DO JOE DO YOU WANT TO HELP ME PLAY LEGOS
Athletics 3 @ Twins 2
The game relegated to the noon slot so that FOX could continue it's ongoing YES mk. II transformation was the best of the day, with Johan Santana and Barry Zito (assist to free-swinging Twins) turned in an amazing pitcher's duel that was tense into the very last inning. A lot of people questioned Gardenhire's decision to bring in Crain instead of Nathan or Neshek, and had they done that, we might still be playing baseball right now with how deep the A's and Twins bullpens go. The bigger blunder (shockingly leading to me agree with Joe Morgan), was letting Castillo attempt to steal that bag in the first when Zito was having command problems.
Tune back in tommorow, when I will rant about how stupid people are to think that the Mets are done in the NL without Pedro. Or, alternately, where I rip into people on our team for not hitting Derek Lowe. Either way, it should be fun.
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