Category: MLB (Page 160 of 448)

      Angels win thriller, stave off elimination

      October 22, 2009 /

      Thanks to their 7-6 victory over the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALCS on Thursday night, the Angels saved themselves from elimination to force a Game 6.

      L.A. starter John Lackey gave up three runs on six hits over 6.2 innings of work, while striking out seven and walking three. He was cruising until the sixth inning when he allowed a double to Melky Cabrera, then walked pinch hitter Jorge Posada on a terrible call by home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth.

      The call definitely rattled Lackey, who wound up walking the bases loaded before retiring the second out of the inning. He was relieved with the two outs and the bases loaded, but the Halos bullpen wound up getting shelled as the Yankees put six runs on the board to take a 6-4 lead.

      But the Angels answered back with three runs of their own and then held on over the final two innings to secure the victory.

      The call by Culbreth completely swung the momentum in the Yankees favor. Lackey had every right to be pissed, although he allowed his emotions to get the best of him and Mike Scioscia had little choice but to relieve him. Had New York wound up winning, the Angels could have pointed to that call as their death nail.

      Joe Girardi will once again be subject to criticism following his decision to let starter A.J. Burnett go back out for the seventh inning. The Yankees had all the momentum and Girardi should have had more faith in his bullpen, but he allowed Burnett to start the inning and A.J. would up allowing the first two batters to reach base to spark the Halos.

      Another Yankee that will face some heat is Nick Swisher, who went 0-for-5 and popped out with bases loaded in the top of the ninth to end the game. He had a solid regular season, but he’s hitting just .118 so far in the postseason and has killed several scoring opportunities for the Bronx Bombers.

      Game 6 is set for Saturday at 8:07 p.m. ET and will feature Joe Saunders vs. Andy Pettitte.

      MLB

      Phillies knock off Dodgers, head back to World Series

      October 22, 2009 /

      The Philadelphia Phillies will have the opportunity to defend their World Series title.

      Jayson Werth powered the Phils past the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night by hitting two of the club’s four home runs in a 10-4 victory. Pedro Feliz and Shane Victorino also homered for Philly, as they easily disposed of L.A. in five games.

      The Phillies’ offense shined in the NLCS, racking up 35 runs in seven games. Thus far, Werth has five dingers in the postseason, while Victorino has three. Philadelphia will now await the winner of the Yankees-Angels series to see who will oppose them in the World Series.

      A potential Phillies-Yankees matchup would be entertaining considering how well both clubs are hitting the ball right now. Watching CC Sabathia take on Werth, Victorino, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley would be incredibly fun to watch and should draw decent ratings given how big of a market the Yankees play in.

      It’s amazing how the Phillies were overlooked before the season. While everyone talked about the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs, the Phillies flew under the radar for the most part and then once again took care of business once the series started.

      The Dodgers must be praying they never have to face the Phillies after these last two years.

      MLB

      Sabathia, A-Rod carry Yankees again

      October 21, 2009 /

      For the time being, CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez have completely silenced their critics.

      Sabathia held the Angels to one earned run over eight innings on Tuesday night as the Yankees earned a 10-1 victory to go up three-games-to-one in the ALCS. Rodriguez went three-for-four on the night with three runs scored, two RBI and a home run, which was his third of the postseason.

      Both of these players have been ridiculed in the past for their lousy postseason play, but are now carrying their club. Sabathia is absolutely dominating hitters while pitching late into ballgames, while A-Rod is hitting a scoring .375, which leads all New York batters.

      This win was huge for the Yankees because if they can’t close things out in Game 5, the Angels have to go back to New York for two games. If the Yankees can’t win one of two at home, then they didn’t deserve to go to the World Series anyway.

      MLB

      Girardi’s gaff costs Yankees in Game 3 of ALCS

      October 19, 2009 /

      The Angels avoided falling in a three-game hole by beating the Yankees 5-4 in Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday night. Vladimir Guerrero hit a game-tying two-run home run in the sixth inning and Jeff Mathis hit a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the 11th inning for the Halos.

      Not to take anything away from the Angels because this was a huge win for them, but Joe Girardi screwed the pooch by taking reliever David Robertson out in the 11th after he retired the first two batters. Girardi replaced Robertson with Alfredo Aceves, who immediately gave up a single to Howie Kendrick and then the double to Mathis.

      Hindsight is always 20/20, but Robertson’s location was fine and his curve was sharp, so why Girardi felt the need to take him out is perplexing. Granted, the same outcome could have happened if Girardi left Robertson in the game but it really seems like the New York skipper over managed the situation tonight.

      MLB

      Cliff Lee shuts out Dodgers, Kuroda gets rocked

      October 18, 2009 /

      Lee

      Hiroki Kuroda hadn’t pitched since Sept. 28 because of a bulging disk in his neck. Doctors said this problem may have been caused by the line drive he took to the skull in August. Despite the concussion, Kuroda still came back in September, but was mediocre. Now your team is in the National League Championship Series, tied at a game a piece. Are you going to throw Kuroda, simply because he was dominant against the Phillies last year? Hell no.

      Joe Torre is going to take the brunt of the blame for this one. Knowing Kuroda was a question mark at best, Torre chose to drop starter Jon Garland and long reliever Jeff Weaver from the NLCS roster. Torre said he went with Scott Elbert because the Phillies have so many lefties in their lineup. Still, why pitch Kuroda, a right-hander? Given how crucial this game was, wouldn’t you throw Randy Wolf, a left-handed pitcher who’s familiar with Citizens Bank Park? Kuroda was absolutely awful, giving up six hits and six runs in one and a third innings. The Phillies immediately jumped over Kuroda as he gave up four consecutive hits to Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth. By the end of the first inning, the Phillies had scored four runs off of Howard’s triple and Werth’s solo shot.

      Scott Elbert soon took over, but didn’t have any command. Enter Chad Billingsley, the former Dodger ace who was removed from the starting rotation before the postseason began. Billingsley was better than expected, but still allowed two runs in three and a third. If the Dodgers can somehow force a Game 7, Billingsley could get the call.

      While the Phillies’ bats were hot throughout the night, the Dodgers might as well have hit with chopsticks. Cliff Lee was simply phenomenal. Over eight innings of work, Lee struck out 10, holding the Dodgers to three hits and zero runs.

      The Dodgers were the best hitting team during the regular season, so what happened tonight? Manny Ramirez did come up with two of the Dodgers’ three hits but, as we learned during his fifty-game suspension, he is not the team. A solid rotation is the most vital part to a club’s postseason success. At this point, the Dodgers don’t have one. Vicente Padilla is shaking his head.

      Pedro Martinez, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Cliff Lee have all been dominant in the League Championship Series. Which teams do they play for again?

      MLB

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