Tag: 2010 World Series (Page 3 of 3)

      Giants decide on Lincecum for Game 1, Cain for Game 2

      October 26, 2010 /
      July 30, 2010 - San Francisco, CA, United States of America - 30 July 2010; San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum.

      It’s official: the Giants will send Tim Lincecum to the mound in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.

      After “The Freak” threw 16 pitches in Game 6 against the Phillies last Saturday, there had been some debate as to whether or not he should start Game 1 against the Rangers. But in the end, there wasn’t really any debate at all – at least not to Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy.

      Teams want to throw their ace Game 1 so that if they need them in Game 4 or Game 7 to stave off elimination or to win the series, they’re available to throw again. If the Giants had pushed Lincecum’s start back (even just one game), then he probably wouldn’t have been available to throw on short rest later in the series when San Fran truly needed him. Besides, he only threw 16 pitches on Saturday night and this is for the whole shebang. Players have all winter to rest.

      While the Rangers have yet to officially announce their starting rotation, it’s presumed that Cliff Lee will face Lincecum in Game 1. Again, teams want to throw their ace first so that they’ll be available later on and there’s no doubt that the Rangers want Lee available as much as possible. For the Giants, Matt Cain will start Game 2 and then I would imagine Jonathan Sanchez would pitch Game 3.

      Much like Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay in the NLCS, the Lincecum-Lee matchup will be one for the ages. Lee has proven to be one of the best postseason pitchers the game has ever seen and with another dominating performance or two, we’ll be able to drop the “one of the best” from that sentence. Lincecum, on the other hand, already has two Cy Young awards and won in each of his first two postseason outings (once against the Braves in the NLDS and then once more against the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLCS).

      External Sports, MLB

      Did Yankee fans cost their club Cliff Lee?

      October 26, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers' Cliff Lee (R) celebrates with fans after defeating the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball's ALCS playoff series in Arlington, Texas, October 22, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      When Rangers’ ace Cliff Lee becomes a free agent this winter, several teams will be bidding on his services.

      One of those teams will be the New York Yankees, although if Lee’s wife Kristen has anything to say on the matter, her husband won’t be heading to the Bronx in 2011.

      From the USA Today:

      Perhaps the Rangers’ greatest sales pitch simply was having Kristen sit in the visiting family section at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs. She says there were ugly taunts. Obscenities. Cups of beer thrown. Even fans spitting from the section above.

      “The fans did not do good things in my heart,” Kristen says.

      “When people are staring at you, and saying horrible things, it’s hard not to take it personal.”

      It won’t be long before someone in the comments section mentions money when it comes to Lee’s decision about the Yankees. “We’ll see if his wife cares about the cups of beer and obscenities when there’s $200 million on the table,” they’ll say. But these types of things stay with people and money isn’t everything to everyone. (It’s not as if the Lee’s don’t have money either.)

      As I’ve written before on this site, there are idiot fans everywhere. There are idiots in New York, idiots in Boston, idiots in Chicago and idiots in Philadelphia. Some people toss dignity, respect and humility out the window as soon as they enter a ballpark, which is rather sad.

      With that in mind, it would be rather humorous if Lee decided to stay with the Rangers or spurn the Yankees’ advances because of the way his wife was treated in New York. One would have thought that the fans in the Bronx would have rolled out the red carpet for Lee and his family, but an idiot is an idiot. People don’t think how their actions will affect their lives at a future date. (Maybe those fans didn’t know it was Lee’s wife, although to that I say: Why not act like a human being regardless?)

      First things first though – Lee and his Rangers have to worry about the task at hand, which is the San Francisco Giants. Free agency can wait – it’s certainly not going anywhere. People’s minds change, too.

      External Sports, MLB

      Which starter should the Giants throw in Game 1?

      October 25, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum in the 2nd inning during the National League Championship Series at AT&T Park in San Francisco, on October 21, 2010. UPI/ Bob Larson Photo via Newscom

      Tim Lincecum says he fully expects to start in Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday night against the Rangers. But after pitching in the 8th inning Saturday night against the Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy has a tougher decision than people think.

      By the time Wednesday rolls around, Matt Cain will have had a full week of rest after pitching in Game 3 of the NCLS last Tuesday. If the Giants were to throw him Game 1 of the Fall Classic, that would give Lincecum four days of rest if the Giants wanted to start him Game 2 on Thursday (and why wouldn’t they?).

      But that would mean the Giants wouldn’t have their ace in Games 4 and 7 if they were facing an elimination game. If possible, clubs always want to throw their best pitcher Game 1, so that if they needed him later in the series he would be available. Lincecum only threw 16 pitches on Saturday and while he would be working on only three days rest, he should be fine to pitch the opening game.

      That said, it’s not like Cain can’t get the job done. He’s proven to be one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball and after the Giants burned through their bullpen Saturday night thanks to Jonathan Sanchez’s dud performance (he lasted only two innings before being pulled), they could use a bull like Cain to throw seven or eight innings.

      But it all comes back to throwing your ace in Game 1, which is why I think Bochy will inevitably tab Lincecum as his starter. If the Rangers pound him, then so be it. But the Giants need to have their ace available later in the series if need be. Guys can rest in December.

      External Sports, MLB

      Giants’ band of misfits and miscasts beat Phillies to advance to World Series

      October 24, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants players, including Pablo Sandoval, Cody Ross, Brian Wilson, Andres Torres and Aubrey Huff (L-R) celebrate their victory against the Philadelphia Phillies to win the National League pennant in Game 6 of their Major League Baseball NLCS playoff series in Philadelphia, October 23, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      After failing to land Adam LaRoche in the offseason, the San Francisco Giants “settled” on Aubrey Huff, who nobody showed much interest in.

      After a successful stint with the Giants in 2009, Juan Uribe didn’t garner much interest from other teams this offseason on the open market, so he re-signed with San Fran for one year on the cheap.

      In fear that the Padres would pick him up, the Giants claimed Cody Ross off waivers from the Marlins, who wanted to save a measly $1 million so they basically gave him away for free.

      It was Huff’s single in the third inning that put the Giants on the board after the Phillies had taken a 2-0 lead in Game 6 of the NCLS Saturday night. It was Uribe’s home run in the eighth that broke a 2-2 tie, and it was Ross’s MVP play throughout the entire series that helped the G-Men knock off the defending National League champions to earn a date with the Rangers in the 2010 World Series.

      Of course, there were others that helped San Fran get to this point. After he was dumped midseason by the Rays and couldn’t find work, the Giants took a flier on Pat Burrell, who essentially took a hometown discount because nobody else showed any interest in the veteran. The club’s best hitter is rookie catcher Buster Posey, who started the year in Triple-A because the Giants were concerned that he couldn’t handle their outstanding pitching staff. Andres Torres is a 32-year-old lifelong journeyman who came out of nowhere to seize the leadoff spot in their lineup when Aaron Rowand was hurt and ineffective earlier in the year.

      Manager Bruce Bochy calls this team the “Dirty Dozen” because it’s essentially a bunch of miscasts and misfits that came together to do something pretty amazing. The Giants’ pitching staff rivals that of anyone in the league (just ask the Phillies and Braves), but none of this would have been possible if guys like Huff, Burrell, Torres, Posey and Ross didn’t gel. Did the Giants catch some breaks along the way? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean that they’re any less deserving. The resiliency that this team has shown throughout the year is impressive and just when you think they’re done, they find a way in the end.

      They’ve tortured their fans throughout the year with too many one-run games to count. But alas, torture has never felt so good.

      External Sports, MLB

      Colby Lewis, MVP Josh Hamilton lift Rangers to first ever World Series

      October 23, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers players celebrate after defeating the New York Yankees to win their Major League Baseball's ALCS playoff series in Arlington, Texas October 22, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      With a dominating effort over the Yankees in the ACLS, the Texas Rangers have punched their first ticket to the World Series in club history.

      Colby Lewis allowed just one run over eight innings in the Rangers’ 6-1 win in Game 6 Friday night. The only run he allowed shouldn’t even have counted, as A-Rod scored on what was deemed a wild pitch, but replays showed that the ball actually hit Nick Swisher’s leg.

      No matter. Lewis yielded just three hits and struck out seven while frustrating Yankee hitters with his outstanding command of the strike zone. He won both of his ALCS starts, posting a 1.98 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP with 13 Ks over 13 2/3 innings.

      Josh Hamilton was named series MVP, as he reached base in all four plate appearances on Friday and batted .350 with four long balls in six games. Considering his long personal battle with drugs, alcohol and immense ups and downs, it’s amazing how far he’s come. He’s an easy guy to root for if you know his background and he’s a true comeback tale.

      As for the Yankees, they can only blame themselves. They hit just .201 to the Rangers’ .304, while driving in 19 runs to Texas’ 38 RBI. They were also bested in home runs (9 to 6) and ERA (6.58 to 3.06).

      This is yet another example of how baseball is won on the field – not in the offseason. The Bombers could have spent triple what they did this year to field a team and they still would have had to execute on the field. But they didn’t and now they’ll be at home come November.

      Comment Starter: The Rangers now await the winner of the NCLS between the Phillies and Giants, as San Fran currently holds a 3-2 lead. What matchup would you most like to see? The two underdogs or a powerhouse Phillies-Rangers matchup?

      External Sports, MLB

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