Category: MLB (Page 391 of 448)

Who said the newbies wouldn’t complete? The postseason-starved Indians crushed the Yankees to take a 1-0 series lead, while the Diamondbacks and Rockies cruised to a 2-0 advantage in their respective match ups. Find recaps below.

Rockies 10, Phillies 5
Colorado used the long ball to beat Philadelphia in Game 2, getting two dingers from Matt Holiday and a grand slam from Kazuo Matsui, the first of his career. The Denver Post believes it’s the Rockies’ mojo that is willing them to victory…While Jim Salisbury of The Philadelphia Inquirer thinks the Phils were so content with stealing the NL East from the Mets that they’re just trying to sleepwalk past the Rockies.

Diamondbacks 8, Cubs 4
Chicago jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when youngster Geovany Soto homered in the second. But Arizona hammered Cubs starter Ted Lilly, collecting four runs in the second and two more in the fourth. Jason P. Skoda of The Arizona Republic gushed over Augie Ojeda’s penchant for being a thorn in the Cubs’ side…In Chicago, Sun Times columnist Jay Mariotti referred to this series as a choke-job by the Cubs, one the team has never seen before (really).

Indians 12, Yankees 3
Cleveland got a blast from the past as the postseason-savvy Kenny Loften went 3 for 4, with four RBI and a run scored. Thanks to a long postseason layoff and a huge Game 1 rout, the fans are pumped in Cleveland writes Plain Dealer reporter Grant Segall…In the Bronx, New York Post columnist Mike Puma criticizes Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui for letting Tribe pitcher C.C. Sabathia off the hook in a wild fifth inning.

Analyzing over stats, trends and pie charts in an effort to predict baseball’s playoff winners? Well stop, because while that might be a more accurate way to go, it certainly isn’t more fun.

Shoutmouth.com went the unconventional route in determining which teams would win their respective divisional series: by comparing what closers had the better theme song.

Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees – “Enter Sandman” by Metallica vs. Joe Borowski – Cleveland Indians – Various

Verdict: While Rivera’s “Sandman” is intimidating and he is an originator of the entrance song art form, Borowski’s odd song behavior is unpredictable and downright scary (and there’s more on him to come). There’s something weird and it don’t look good…

Winner: Cleveland

What’s more important in trying to predict the winner of a playoff baseball game? The match up between Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Beckett, or F-Rod’s “Sandungueoso” theme music vs. Jonathan Papelbon’s “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”? The choice is an easy one when you really think about it.

The MLB postseason has officially kicked off with the D-backs, Red Sox and Rockies taking 1-0 leads in their respective series. Below is what some of the local papers are saying about each series.

Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 1
Carlos Zambrano was dominant for the Cubs, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out eight through six innings. With how well he was pitching, Jay Mariotti of The Chicago Sun Times wonders why manager Lou Piniella tried to win Game 4 instead of Game 1 by taking Zambrano out…In Arizona, Dan Brickley of The Arizona Republic concurs with Mariotti and believes Piniella’s blunder was all the D-Backs needed to steal Game 1.

Red Sox 4, Angels 0
While David Ortiz (2 for 3, 2 RBI, 1 HR) sparked the BoSox in the third inning with a two-run home run, Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe would rather marvel at Josh Beckett’s nine-innings of shutout baseball…In L.A., Bill Plashke of The L.A. Times warns John Lackey that the next time he whines about not pitching in a marquee match up, he better be ready because he certainly wasn’t Wednesday night against Beckett.

Rockies 4, Phillies 2
The Rockies jumped on Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels in the second inning, scoring three runs and sealing the victory with a solid effort from the bullpen. With the win, there’s postseason baseball to be enjoyed in Colorado writes The Denver Post…While in Philadelphia, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer is already pissed that the Phils are in a 1-0 hole and thinks getting out of it is unlikely…

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting the Atlanta Braves have decided that they will not re-sign centerfielder Andruw Jones when his contract expires at the end of the year.

Schuerholz would not divulge the contract parameters he received from Boras in December but confirmed they were in the “top-tier” of contract in terms of salary and length. It is believed that Boras was asking for at least seven years at close to $20 million annually.

If the report is accurate, $20 million a year for seven years is quite a hefty asking price for a guy that hit .222 this season and will turn 31 next April. He’s still a nine-time Gold Glover, however, so some team will pony up and pray that his average this past season was a fluke.

Any predictions on where Jones ends up next season?

After a – pardon the pun – wild (card) game last night between the Rockies and Padres, the postseason is officially ready to kick off in Major League Baseball. Perhaps the biggest thing to note this year is that there finally is some new blood in the water.

While the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels are familiar faces, the Cubs, Indians, Phillies and of course, the Rockies, offer a breath of postseason fresh air. Analysts like to note how important big market teams are to MLB playoffs because of TV ratings, but it’s exciting to see the Rockies make their first postseason apperance. It’s great that the Cubs get another chance to erase Steve Bartman, and that the Indians and Phillies finally make it back to the playoffs after years of coming up empty. It’s also exciting to root against the Yankees and Red Sox while pulling for the underdog Rockies and Indians. There’s also plenty of star power to go around and some youthful exuberance on the Rockies and Tribe.

Forget the TV ratings for a minute. This year’s playoffs offer a little something for everyone and that’s only good news for the game. Part of the reason the NFL is so popular is because of its parity. This year’s MLB playoffs stuck a nice balance of new and old, and because of that, I’m truly excited.