Thursday, November 28, 2013

Dodgers Eliminate Yankees - Going to the Series


For the first time in their Millennium League history, the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading to the World Series.  Los Angeles defeated New York in a tense seven game series:

Game 1
LAD 4 NYA 0

Game Story

First baseman Miguel Cabrera smashed 2 homeruns as the Los Angeles Dodgers outscored the New York Yankees 4 to 0.
 
Los Angeles tallied 2 runs in the 4th inning.  Los Angeles finished with 6 hits while New York ended up with 2.  C.J. Wilson(3-0) went 6 and 1/3 innings allowing no runs for the victory. Tim Lincecum(1-1) absorbed the loss.  
What the Game Story doesn't tell you

I asked John for one piece of advice. He said don't let Miggy beat you. I don't listen.  Only 2 hits but NYA is not discouraged



 
Game 2
LAD 6 NYA 0

Game Story
Right fielder Carl Crawford hit one over the fence and Daniel Hudson didn't allow a hit until the 7th inning at Dodger Stadium where the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 6 to 0.
 
Hudson(1-0) was on top of his game.  He didn't allow much, just 2 hits and 1 walk in 9 innings.  The right-handed Hudson lost his no-hit bid when Ichiro Suzuki singled with nobody out in the 7th inning.  Los Angeles managed 7 hits in their victory. 
 
Jorge De La Rosa(1-1) ended up with the loss.  Despite losing, he struckout 8 Los Angeles batters in 5 innings.
What the Game Story doesn't tell you

 ......4 hits in 2 games.  Wow this team is loaded. Hopefully some home cooking will help.
 

Game 3
NYA 3 LAD 2

Game Story
The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers locked up in an exciting one-run game at Petco Park.  The final score was the New York Yankees 3, the Los Angeles Dodgers 2.
 
New York went ahead for good in the bottom of the 7th inning scoring one runner.  Los Angeles threatened in the 9th but New York was able to put down the rally. 
 
Ryan Franklin(1-0) allowed no runs in 1 and 1/3 innings, and picked up the victory. Mariano Rivera earned the save, his 4th.  Brandon Lyon(0-1) was the loser in relief. 

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

A hard fought game where the Dodgers and Yankees traded leads. Once the Yanks took the lead in the 7th it was Rivera time for 2 innings. They were not easy with 3 hits allowed in the 3 innings.  Mark made some great moves but NY just held on.

Cabrera came to the plate after going 4-4 with 2 runners on and 2 outs in the ninth. Rivera on the mound and the next batter behind was a L 9R so Rivera pitches to him and gets him to fly out WHEW!!!!!!

Game 4
NYA 5 LAD 4

Game Story

In the bottom of the 7th inning New York went on top for good as they scored 2 runs on 2 base hits.  The highlight belonged to Carlos Ruiz who brought a roar from the partisan Petco Park fans when he doubled scoring two base runners.  Los Angeles had a chance in the 9th but they came up short.
 
The victory was credited to Eric O'Flaherty(1-0) who went 1 inning, allowing no runs. O'Flaherty was helped out by Mariano Rivera who recorded his 5th save.  Brandon Lyon(0-2) was given the loss in relief. 

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

Where to start. Any runner that went for an extra base was thrown out, EXCEPT for a hit and run that missed and a 40% chance steal was safe.  That was the difference. LA got to Rivera in the 9th and on a 1-17 chance the tying run was thrown out at the plate on an amazing play by CHOOCH, AKA Carlos Ruiz.

With a trip back to LA guaranteed NYA started feeling good but the veteran Dodgers were still not worried.

Game 5
LAD 4 NYA 2

Game Story

The Los Angeles Dodgers came roaring back in the top of the ninth to spoil the anticipated celebration of the hometown fans.  The final score, was 4 to2.
 
Los Angeles won the game with a rally in the 9th inning when they tallied 4 runs on 1 hit.  The critical plate appearance was by Geovany Soto who silenced Petco Park as he quieted the crowd by clouting a Grand Slam.  Los Angeles won despite being out-hit by New York 6 hits to 2. 
 
The victory went to Neftali Feliz(1-0) who went 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing no runs. Dennys Reyes recorded his 1st save.  Eric O'Flaherty(1-1) was tagged with the loss in relief. 

What the story doesn't tell you

There was not a run till the 9th.  Lincecum got pulled in a 1 hitter after 7 to try to get some offense. The only other hit the Dodgers got was a GRAND SLAM by Soto, against a Righty. NYA fought back to get 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, but came up short. The Dodgers fly home needing only 1 win to celebrate in front of their adoring fans and go to the World Series

Game 6
NYA 7 LAD 3

Game Story

Second baseman Robinson Cano homered and had 2 RBI as the New York Yankees topped the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 7 to 3 at Dodger Stadium.
 
Los Angeles was unable to claim the lead after New York went ahead in the topo f the 7th inning as they scored 3 runs on 2 base hits.  The highlight belonged to Cano who deflated the spirits of the home town crowd when he popped a two-run clout over the fence.  New York had 10 hits for the
afternoon while Los Angeles had 7. 
 
Ryan Franklin(2-0) was the winner allowing no runs in 1/3 of an inning. Javier Lopez(0-1) took the loss in relief.  He pitched 1/3 of an inning and surrendered 1 hit and no walks.

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

NYA had had NO homers in the first 5 games. Finally in the 7th inning of game 6 (after me realizing this had happened) Cano drives one deep to take the lead and Encarnacion hits one in the 8th to make the lead stick.  It all comes down to 1 game for the right to go to the World Series

Game 7
LAD 6 NYA 3

Game Story
Carl Crawford had 3 base hits and C.J. Wilson took a no-hitter into the 8th inning at Dodger Stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees by the count of 6 to 3.
 
Wilson(4-0) pitched a solid game.  He was reached for 2 hits and 2 walks in 7 and 2/3 innings.  The left-handed Wilson lost a no-hitter when Carlos Beltran doubled with one out in the 8th inning.  New York could do no damage in the 9th. 
 
Neftali Feliz earned his 1st save.  Andy Pettitte(1-1) suffered the loss.  He pitched 4 and 2/3 innings giving up 4 hits and 3 walks.

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

A couple errors and some great hits and LA opened up a 6 game lead and had a no hitter through 7.  NYA doesn't give up and scores 3 in the 8th, However the Dodgers are too good and hold on to win the series.  Second game in the series where a team has more runs than hits.

Well played, managed and fun.

STATS
Batting Average
LAD .239
NYA .173

ERA

LAD 2.66
NYA 3.90

LOB

LAD 56
NYA 33

Mariners Outlast Buccos in Seven

Seattle (AP) - Jon Lester and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games.  A recap of the series:

Game 1
SEA 5, PITT 3 - Felix Hernandez pitched seven strong innings and Pujols and Braun not hit homers.

Game 2
PITT 8, SEA 7 - Neil Walker hit a grand slam in the 2nd to help Pittsburgh take an early lead; but starter Shawn Marcum faltered as Seattle led after three innings 7-6.  The Pirate bullpen pitched scoreless relief the rest of the way as the Pirates scored single runs in the 4th and 6th for the win.

Game 3
SEA 6, PITT 2 - Jon Lester got Seattle back on track by tossing seven brilliant innings of 2-hit shutout ball.  The heart of the Seattle order, Braun/Pujols/Arod, went 7 for 14 with 4 runs scored and 4 ribbies.

Game 4
PITT 5, SEA 4 (10) - Scrappy Pittsburgh again knotted the series by scoring two runs off Francisco Rodriguez in the 9th and then scoring the game-winner off Billy Wagner in the bottom of the 10th.  Freddie Sanchez hit the walk-off homer vs. Wagner to send the Bucco faithful crazy.

Game 5
SEA 2, PITT 1 - In this back-and-forth series, Felix Hernandez outdueled Johan Santana for a tense victory.  Seattle relievers of O'Day and F. Rodriguez combined to pitch three scoreless innings as Seattle held on for the win.

Game 6
PITT 14, SEA 1 - Justin Verlander got roughed up by the Pirate attack as he gave up 7 runs over 3+ innings.  Pirate starter Shawn Marcum pitched a CG as the Pirates banged out 7 homers off the Mariner pitching staff.

Game 7
SEA 8, PITT 6 - Trailing 5-2 going to the bottom of the 7th, Seattle scored 3 runs in the 7th and 2 in the 8th to finally put away 8th seeded Pittsburgh.  Jose Reyes went 3 for 3 and Y. Molina drove in 3 runs.

Seattle will now face Arizona in the semi-finals..... 



Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Yanks Eliminate Redbirds

The New York Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a quick four game series:


Game 1
NYA 5 STL 3

Second baseman Robinson Cano connected with a 'big fly' and had 3 RBI at Chase
Field as the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5 to 3.
 
Tim Lincecum(1-0) had a solid outing for New York.  He went 6 and 1/3 innings
and surrended up 7 hits and 1 walk.  Lincecum whiffed an impressive total of
7 St. Louis batters.  New York totaled 11 hits on the night. 
 
Lincecum got help from Mariano Rivera who was credited with his 1st save.  The loss was charged to Ubaldo Jimenez(0-1).  He gave up 4 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings. 


Game 2
NYA 6 STL 3

At Chase Field the New York Yankees outscored the St. Louis Cardinals 6 to 3.
 
New York took the lead off Ian Kennedy in the first inning when they tallied 3 runs on 3 hits.  The critical plate appearance was by Troy Tulowitzki who quieted the home crowd when he popped a two-run clout over the fence.  St.Louis went down without a fight in the bottom of the 9th. 
 
Jorge De La Rosa(1-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 6 and 2/3 innings and allowing 2 runs. De La Rosa got help from Mariano Rivera who was credited with his 2nd save.  Kennedy(0-1) ended up with the loss.  He was not very effective, surrendering 4 runs in 3 innings. 


Game 3
NYA 2 STL 1

Troy Tulowitzki had 2 base hits as the New York Yankees topped the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 2 to 1 at Petco Park.
 
New York came up with 1 run in the 3rd inning.  That early scoring was all that Andy Pettitte(1-0) needed.  Neither team managed to score after the 3rd inning. 
 
Pettitte got help from Mariano Rivera who was credited with his 3rd save.  Yovani Gallardo(0-1) was hit with the loss.  He pitched 7 innings giving up 6 hits and 5 walks.



Game 4
NYA 4 STL 3

The hometown crowd was rewarded with a dramatic ending, as the New York Yankees staged a comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals by the count of 4 to 3.
 
New York had the winning rally in the 9th inning with 2 runs utilizing 2 base hits.  After an out was recorded, Garrett Jones jump-started the rally as he doubled scoring the final run of the inning.  New York had only 5 hits for the afternoon. 
 
Matt Albers(1-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 1 inning and allowing no runs. Ubaldo Jimenez(0-2) was the loser.  'That was exciting!,' Troy Tulowitzki said.  'I would have paid money to watch this one.'

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Dodgers Sweep Defending Champs

What a difference a year makes.....Last season, the Kansas City Royals were riding high as they knocked out a very tough Seattle squad to capture the World Series.  But, the champs will not be repeating as the upstart Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Royals in four games.  A recap of the series:

(Game #1) LA 5, KC 1  - CJ Wilson gets the win by pitching 5 innings of 1-run ball.  Then, six Dodger relievers shut out KC the rest of the way.  Miguel Cabrera hit a homer and drove in 2 runs.  Hanley Ramirez went five-for-five for KC.

(Game #2) LA 4, KC 3 (12) - Carl Crawford hit the game winning single in bottom of the 12th.  Cabrera drove in 2 more runs and nine LA pitchers saw action in this one.  Hanley Ramirez drove in 2 runs with a homer for the Royals.

(Game #3) LA 8, KC 2 - Tommy Hanson pitched a complete game striking out 8.  Jamey Carroll hit a double and triple for LA.

(Game #4) LA 14, KC 3 - Danny Haren gives up 7 runs in the first two innings as the Dodgers roll.  Cabrera hit two homers and drove in 5 runs.  CJ Wilson notches his second win of the series.

Dodgers now await the winner of the Cardinal-Yankee series.......

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Diamondbacks Eliminate Angels in Six Games

The Arizona Diamonbacks, behind strong starting pitching, eliminated Anaheim in six games.  A recap of the series:
 
 
GAME 1
Arizona 2, Anaheim 0
Jered Weaver and Jose Valverde combined on a 5-hitter. Jose Bautista homered in the 4th and Shane Victorino added an RBI single in the 5th.
 
GAME 2
Anaheim 8, Arizona 6
The Angels rallied from a 4-0 deficit after Carlos Pena capped a big 1st inning with a 3-run HR. But Mark Teixeira hit a 2-run HR in the 4th, then highlighted a 5-run 5th with a 2-run single. Dustin Pedroia made it interesting in the 9th with a 2-run HR for the D-backs.
 
GAME 3
Arizona 4, Anaheim 0
The D-backs recorded their second shutout in three games as Jaime Garcia and Jose Valverde scattered 7 hits. Shane Victorino homered and Jose Bautista added a pair of RBI singles for the winners.
 
GAME 4
Anaheim 2, Arizona 1
Bobby Abreu snapped a 1-1 tie with a HR in the 11th. Casey McGehee homered in the 2nd for the Angels while Kosuke Fukudome tied it with a round-tripper in the 8th. Jered Weaver went the distance for the D-backs, allowing just four hits.
 
GAME 5
Arizona 4, Anaheim 3
Jose Valverde worked out of a 2-on, 2-out jam in the 9th for his third save of the series. Shane Victorino's RBI single snapped a 3-3 tie in the 6th.
 
GAME 6
Arizona 3, Anaheim 1
Diamondbacks pitching, which had a 1.95 ERA for the series, was dominating in the clincher as Dallas Braden and three relievers held the Angels to 4 hits. A.J. Pierzynski snapped a 1-1 tie with a HR in the 7th. Jose Valverde, meanwhile, added his fourth save.

2010 Final Team Bullpen Stats




Strat-O-Matic Report






ZTeam Bullpen
Team ReERA ReW ReL Sv
--------------------------- ----- --- --- --
Arizona Diamondbacks (ARN) 2.17 25 20 52
Anaheim Angels (ANA) 2.62 27 11 55
Los Angeles Dodgers (LAN) 2.85 26 17 55
Seattle Mariners (SEA) 3.01 23 19 55
New York Yankees (NYA) 3.32 17 12 40
Atlanta Braves (ATN) 3.33 27 18 43
St. Louis Cardinals (SLN) 3.36 18 15 43
Kansas City Royals (KCA) 3.39 21 23 44
Boston Red Sox (BOA) 3.60 20 28 43
Florida Marlins (FLN) 3.78 18 22 45
Oakland A's (OAA) 3.94 20 17 35
Houston Astros (HON) 4.04 17 25 38
Cleveland Indians (CLA) 4.14 23 19 50
Washington Nationals (WAN) 4.16 19 23 43
San Francisco Giants (SFN) 4.28 16 12 17
Minnesota Twins (MNA) 4.48 15 14 34
Toronto Blue-Jays (TOA) 4.61 11 28 41
Pittsburgh Pirates (PIN) 4.87 24 20 40
Chicago White Sox (CHA) 4.97 16 26 43
Philadelphia Phillies (PHN) 5.34 8 26 29








2010 Final Team Clutch Hitting




Strat-O-Matic Report






Team Clutch Hitting
Team ClAB ClH ClHR ClRBI ClAvg
--------------------------- ---- --- ---- ----- -----
St. Louis Cardinals (SLN) 651 176 32 237 .270
Anaheim Angels (ANA) 656 177 19 234 .270
Oakland A's (OAA) 655 171 19 227 .261
Los Angeles Dodgers (LAN) 708 182 24 262 .257
Pittsburgh Pirates (PIN) 603 148 11 179 .245
Kansas City Royals (KCA) 673 165 25 213 .245
Cleveland Indians (CLA) 653 160 19 205 .245
Houston Astros (HON) 574 139 29 189 .242
Florida Marlins (FLN) 613 147 21 199 .240
Arizona Diamondbacks (ARN) 725 173 25 229 .239
Toronto Blue-Jays (TOA) 590 140 16 176 .237
Chicago White Sox (CHA) 612 142 25 193 .232
Atlanta Braves (ATN) 707 164 17 208 .232
Philadelphia Phillies (PHN) 645 149 12 177 .231
Seattle Mariners (SEA) 666 152 18 183 .228
New York Yankees (NYA) 599 136 17 183 .227
San Francisco Giants (SFN) 607 135 14 161 .222
Minnesota Twins (MNA) 605 134 21 177 .221
Washington Nationals (WAN) 624 134 10 149 .215
Boston Red Sox (BOA) 589 126 9 160 .214