All of the pundits said before the playoffs began that there were no clear favorites this year. If that’s the case, then why aren’t these games more competitive?
St. Louis 6, San Diego 2
Okay, everyone knew that St. Louis was going to win this series handily, but did anyone think that the Padres would just roll over and play dead like this? You’d figure that guys like Giles, Loretta, and especially Joe “The Joker” Randa, who spent most of his career marooned in cellar-dwelling Kansas City, would make the most of the opportunity. But no, instead they’ve been playing like they’ve got a plane to catch, grounding into double play after double play after double play. I originally said Cardinals in four. They’ll only need three.
Atlanta 7, Houston 1
On the plus side, the series is tied at 1-1, but neither game was close. Houston blows out Hudson in Game 1, and Atlanta blows out Roger Clemens, who everyone thinks is in severe pain, in Game 2. And now they head to the Juice Box for Games 3 and 4, so expect some more offensive fireworks. Hats off to John Smoltz, though, for becoming baseball’s winningest postseason pitcher, a spiffy 15-4 record in his career.
