Phillies Move to Yankee Stadium

Philadelphia (AP) - Ruth, Mantle, Maris.....these sluggers all had the priviledge to play in historic Yankee Stadium. Now a new set of sluggers will play in the ballpark for the 2004 season which include Pujols and Tejada. Philadelphia vacates Coors Field and moves to Yankee Stadium for the upcoming season.

Six Returning Pitchers Look to Make Impact

Six pitchers who missed the 2003 season, look to rebound in 2004:

Toronto's Chris Carpenter began the 2003 season on the disabled list as he continued his recovery from shoulder surgery and was forced to undergo arthroscopic surgery for his ailing shoulder on July 29 to remove scar tissue. In three seasons with the Blue Jays, Carpenter is 9-26 with a 6.39 ERA.

Another Blue Jay, Bronson Arroyo, was selected in the 1st round of the 2002 draft. But, he only saw limited action in 2002: 0-2, 9.39 ERA in 7 innings. Bronson did not see action in 2003, but was protected on Toronto's roster for the 2004 campaign.

In 2002, Paul Byrd had one of the best pitching seasons ever in the Millennium League: 24-10, 3.78 ERA in 245 innings pitched. Byrd's 24 wins still holds the single season record. But, knowing that Byrd needed Tommy John surgery, the Yankees traded Paul for a lowly 7th round draft pick to the Royals. Kansas City then kept Byrd on the roster throughout the 2003 season even though he was not able to pitch.

After compiling a 30-19 record in two seasons with Atlanta, Jon Lieber was traded to the White Sox in 2002. Lieber compiled a 10-5 mark with a 4.45 ERA in 129 innings. But, Jon also was victim of Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2003 season.

Anaheim's Trevor Hoffman is currently 7th in all time saves (92) but missed the 2003 season due to shoulder surgery. The Angels are counting on Trevor and their 2003 1st round draft pick Joe Nathan to anchor the back end of their bullpen for the upcoming season.

Finally, A. J. Burnett has been a "charter member" of the Marlins. He has a career 23-25 mark and a 4.15 ERA for the Fish but missed all of last season due to arm problems. Florida is counting on A. J. to rebound in 2004.

Harang Sent to Twins

Minnesota (AP) - The Twins added another front line starter to their pitching staff by acquiring pitcher Aaron Harang from the White Sox. To complete the deal Minnesota also received Chicago's second round pick (21st overall) in exchange for the Twins first rounder (9th overall). In two seasons with Chicago, Harang has gone 3-8 with a 6.45 ERA in 83 innings of work. The White Sox now own the 2nd and 9th picks in the upcoming 2004 draft.

Ryan Drese Traded to Arizona

Millennium League Champs Arizona wasted no time in upgrading their pitching staff for the 2004 season by trading for starting pitcher Ryan Drese. The D-Backs sent the Phillies catcher Damian Miller and a fifth round draft pick for Drese.

Drese was selected in the 16th round of the 2001 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and finished with a 4-1 mark and a 3.13 ERA in 37 innings. He was released at the end of the season and was then re-drafted in the 15th round by Philly for the 2003 campaign. However, he did not see any playing time last season.

-

Arizona's Damian Miller has been with the D-Backs for the past four seasons and has three World Series rings. In 374 games, Miller has hit 39 homers and has a career .235 batting average.

Snakes Win Again!

The Arizona Diamondbacks defended their championship crown in splendid fashion as they disposed of the St. Louis in four games. Arizona won three straight one run games which included a 2-run rally in the bottom of the ninth and a 15-inning contest. A recap of the series:

Game 1 (Arizona 4, St. Louis 3) - Nomo is cruising along, until the D-Backs pinch hit B. Jordan to keep an inning alive and Jordan delivers a surprising 2 run homer to tie things up in the 7th. Top of the 9th, Brousard quickly scores after a lead off hit and then the call goes to Percival to close the 9th. Percival faces 3 batters and gives up 3 hits including a lead off hr to Pierzynski and the game is over.

Game 2 (Arizona 2, St. Louis 1) - This one goes 15 innings. Broussard ties the game for Stl with a solo shot in the top of the 9th and then neither side can score again until Fordyce (the last hitter on Arizona's bench) delivers a pinch hit single in the bottom of the 15th.

Game 3 (Arizona 3, St. Louis 2) - Another one-run game. Shields pitched seven strong innings giving up just one run while Matt Morris gave up two runs in the sixth which proved to be the difference. Redbirds hit into two rally-killing double plays.

Game 4 (Arizona 11, St. Louis 4) - Cards had an early 4-1 lead, but D-Backs put up a 5-spot on Nomo in the 4th to grab the lead and they never looked back. Furcal hit a key two-run triple in the inning. Brian Lawrence went 4-0 in the playoffs. Edmonds, who seemingly carried St. Louis all season, hit just .250 in the series with no homers and no RBI's.

2003 Season Records

RECORDS BROKEN:
(Single Game)
Most Hits (Team) in a Game - 31, Houston
Most Hits in a Game - 9, L. Berkman (Houston)
Most RBI's in a Game - 11, L. Berkman (Houston)

(Season)
Most Doubles (Team) - 389, Philadelphia
Batting Average - .373, A. Pujols (Philadelphia)
Hits - 252, A. Pujols (Philadelphia)
Doubles - 67, A. Pujols (Philadelphia)
Runs - 161, A. Pujols (Philadelphia)
Total Bases - 491, A. Pujols (Phildelphia)
Games Pitched - 90, D. Graves (Toronto)
Shutouts - 6, M. Mussina (Los Angeles)

RECORDS TIED:
(Single Game)
Most At Bats in a Game - 9, G. Anderson (Anaheim), J. Pierre (San Francisco), and J. Kent (San Francisco)
Most Walks in a Game - 5, B. Kielty (Seattle)
Most Homeruns in a Game - 4, R. Hidalgo (Anaheim)
Most Runs Scored in a Game - 5, L. Berkman (Houston), M. Kotsay (Houston), C. Wilson (Pittsburgh), and M. Ramirez (Cleveland)
Least Hits Allowed in a Game - 0, J. Contreras (Anaheim) and D. Dreifort (San Francisco)

(Regular Season)
Most Shutouts (Team) - 17, Oakland
RBI's - 162, J. Thome (Cleveland)

It's D-Backs and Cards in World Series!

Arizona's Magglio Ordonez had three home runs and nine RBI's to help lead the D-Backs to a four games to one series win over the Cleveland Indians. This was defending league champs Arizona's fifth straight series win and they are now 9-1 (33-18 overall) in playoff series - an incredible record and best in the league. Arizona now faces St. Louis for the League Championship. A recap of the games:

Game 1 (Arizona 11, Cleveland 6) -Arizona chases Mark Prior early after scoring 5 runs. Cleveland gets within a run later in the game, but Arizona piles on a bunch more to make it a confortable game 1 victory.

Game 2 (Cleveland 4, Arizona 3) - Cleveland up 4-0 after 8 innings, thanks to home runs from Manny Ramirez and Geoff Jenkins. The 9th turned into a nail bitter, with Arizona scoring 3 but they leave the tying run on 2nd base.

Game 3 (Arizona 7, Cleveland 5) - Arizona was up 7-1 after 7, Mantei made it interesting in the 9th, but too little too late for Cleveland.

Game 4 (Arizona 10, Cleveland 0) - Prior again is terrible. On top of his pitching performance he committed an error and 2 wild pitches, Lawrence in his typical Jeckyl/Hide role throws the complete game shut out after not going 5 innings in game #1.

Game 5 (Arizona 2, Cleveland 1) - Tight one all the way through, aggressive Cleveland base running cost them in the late innings (Lofton pinch ran in the 8th, didn't get lead with 95% chance so stole with 70% chance and was thrown out. Randa leads off the 9th with a walk and is picked off.

Edmonds Leads Redbirds Past Halos

Jim Edmonds hit three homeruns and drove in eight runs to help St. Louis defeat Anaheim 4 games to 0 in their Semi-Final playoff series. A recap of the games:

Game 1 - Cardinals 11, Angels 5 (St. Louis came out blazing, scoring three times in the 1st and seven more in the 2nd. Paul Konerko connected on a 2-run HR in the opening frame and a grand slam in the 2nd. Troy Glaus also had a GS for Anaheim)

Game 2 - Cardinals 7, Angels 5 (Jim Edmonds ripped a 2-run HR in the 13th after delivering an RBI double in the 7th to tie the game. Richard Hidalgo had given Anaheim a 3-0 lead with a HR in the 1st. After the Cards tied it in the 4th, Cesar Izturis' 2-run single in the 6th gave Anaheim a 5-3 advantage. Jay Payton homered in the bottom of the inning to set up Edmonds' heroic efforts in the 7th and 13th)

Game 3 - Cardinals 7, Angels 6 (Edmonds snapped a 6-6 tie with his second HR of the game in the 8th inning. The Angels had fought back from a 6-4 deficit on a HR by Garret Anderson in the 5th and a sac fly by Anderson in the 7th)

Game 4 - Cardinals 4, Angels 3 (Jeremy Burnitz hit a 2-run PH HR in the 9th. The Angels led 1-0 into the 5th when a pair of bases loaded walks gave the Cards a 2-1 lead. Anaheim regained the lead in the 7th on a sac fly by Izturis and a HR by Anderson)

St. Louis now advances to the World Series for the first time in their history and will face the winner of the Arizona-Cleveland playoff series.

White Sox Nab 2nd Pick

Chicago, last place finisher in the 2003 season, secured the second draft pick. (For a complete history of draft lottery results, click here.) The White Sox appear poised to start turning around their past seasons performances based on an influx of new talent. Chicago had three picks out of the first 23 players selected in last season's draft and came away with Jose Reyes (#2 selected player), Jeremy Bonderman (#14) and Brandon Phillips (#23). In the upcoming draft, Chicago once again has a few extra picks: a #2 and #4 from Arizona in the A. J. Pierzynski deal and an extra #3 in the Sammy Sosa trade with Montreal. It will be interesting to see how the White Sox team improves in the the upcoming season.

O Canada!

The Montreal Expos, with just a 3% chance of snatching the top lottery pick, beat the odds and won tonite's draft lottery. Montreal finished 8th worst in last year's standings and had a very small chance in winning the pick. This was the first time in league history that a team higher than the "fourth slot" won the #1 pick. The Expos will have an opportunity to draft a player from a strong pool that includes David Wright, Ryan Howard, Scott Kazmir and Matt Holliday.

Arizona Advances

Millennium League defending champs Arizona defeated Florida 4 games to 1 in their Quarter-Final playoff series.

In game 1, Arizona rallied for 3 runs in the 7th which was aided by a costly Alex Gonzalez error as the Diamondbacks won 4-3. The Marlins evened up the series in game 2 by a 11-4 score behind Mike Lowell's five hits (with two home runs) and four RBI's.

The series moved to Florida for game 3 and Curt Schilling fired a 4-hitter with 11 K's to give Arizona a 2-1 win. Then, the D-Backs took a commanding 3-1 series lead as Brian Lawrence won his 2nd game of the series in a 5-3 Arizona win. Finally, it was all Arizona in game 5, as the D-Backs closed out the series with a 12-5 win. Steve Finley, who hit .391 in the series, had 4 hits which included two doubles and a triple.

Arizona now advances to meet the Cleveland Indians in the Semi-Finals.

Draft Lottery to be Held Next Week

We will be conducting our draft lottery on Wednesday, June 25th and Thursday, June 26th.....

The “Pennsylvania Daily Number NITE” lottery (http://www.palottery.state.pa.us/) on subsequent nights (7PM EST) will be used to decide who gets the #1 and #2 picks in the first round only. If the second pick yields the same result as the first night, then a third night’s lottery drawing will be used. The remaining 10 teams will draft in reverse order of record. So, the team with the poorest record can do no worst than pick third in the first round.


2004 Lottery Drawing Chances:

000 to 249 – Chicago (47-115)

250 to 449 – Kansas City (57-105)

450 to 604 – Seattle (69-93)

605 to 724 – Atlanta (72-90)

725 to 814 – Toronto (78-84)

815 to 879 – Oakland (79-83, 21-15 vs. Boston/Montreal in tie-breaker)

880 to 924 – Houston from Boston (79-83, 19-17 vs. Montreal/Oakland in tie-breaker)

925 to 954 – Montreal (79-83)

955 to 974 – Minnesota (80-82, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles in tie-breaker)

975 to 986 – Los Angeles (80-82)

987 to 994 – New York (82-80)

995 to 999 – Pittsburgh (84-79)

(Click here for a history of previous lottery numbers selected.)

Angels Upset Phillies

The Angels, who needed a one-game playoff victory just to reach the post-season, knocked off top-ranked Philadelphia in an exciting seven-game series. The Angels had a .324 team batting average in the series, which helped offset a 7.26 ERA. The Phillies were about the same (.320 and 7.36). Carlos Delgado was voted the series MVP as he hit .357 with 5 HRs and 14 RBIs. Richard Hidalgo, who was hot and cold after being acquired at midseason, hit .429 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs.

Game 1 -- Angels 9, Phillies 7 (Rob Mackowiak and Adam Kennedy hit 2-run HRs and Pudge Rodriguez went 4-5)

Game 2 -- Phillies 10, Angels 3 (Torii Hunter hit a pair of homers)

Game 3 -- Phillies 8, Angels 5 (The game went extra innings after Tike Redman robbed Mark Loretta of a game-winning HR in the 9th. However, the Phillies scored four times in the 10th, sparked by Brad Wilkerson's 2-run double)

Game 4 -- Angels 6, Phillies 5 (Philly jumps to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but Redman delivers an RBI double and DElgado a 3-run HR in the 3rd to tie it. Mike Lieberthal puts the Phils up 5-4 with an RBI single in the 7th, but the Angels tie the series by scoring twice in the 9th, first on Redman's RBI single, then on Kennedy's RBI double)

Game 5 -- Angels 14, Phillies 12 (The first of two wild offensive games. Loretta's 2-run single in the second helps the Phils take a 5-2 lead. However, Anaheim responds with six in the 3rd, capped by Kennedy's 2-run single. Lieberthal and Eric Chavez homer for Philly in the 4th to cut the deficit to 8-7. Hidalgo homers in the bottom of the 4th and Garrett Anderson hits a 2-run shot in the 5th for an 11-7 Anaheim advantage. Aaron Rowand's HR sets off a 5-run 7th for the Phils and they're back on top 12-11. However, Anderson's RBI single in the bottom of the inning ties it and Delgado's 2-run HR puts them up for good)

Game 6 -- Phillies 10, Angels 9 (Fourteen homers are hit -- 12 of them solo. Miguel Tejada hits three for the Phils, who trailed 8-6 after another Delgado 3-run shot. However, Chavez responds with a 3-run HR of his own and Tejada a solo shot in the 7th. The Angels have 1st and 3rd with no outs in the 9th, but after an RBI grounder, David Weathers retires Delgado and Hidalgo).

Game 7 -- Angels 5, Phillies 2 (Kind of anti-climactic after the previous two games. Phils have early 1-0 lead, but an Anderson RBI and a WP give Angels 2-1 lead in the 2nd. Anderson hits solo HR in the 6th and Hidalgo adds icing with 2-run shot in the 9th)

Players of the Block - Block 9

EDGAR GONZALEZ (SEA) -- AL Batter of the Block
Seattle DH Edgar Gonzalez ended the 2003 season with some impressive numbers. He batted .487 (19 for 39) with an AL leading 18 RBIs. His OBP was .592 and he also scored 15 times.

ALBERT PUJOLS (PHN) -- NL Batter of the Block
Philly slugger Albert Pujols had another impressive block. He led the NL with his .442 average for the block while also reaching base at a .500 clip. He drove in 10 and scored 13 times.

KIP WELLS (HON) -- AL Pitcher of the Block
Kip Wells, starter for the Houston Astros, was 2-0 in 3 starts in the final block. In those starts he had an ERA of 0.86 while striking out 16 in 21 innings.

JASON SCHMIDT (OAA) -- NL Pitcher of the Block
Jason Schmidt led the Oakland rotation with a strong block. In 23 2/3 innings he allowed only 12 hits while striking out 25. In those games he recorded an ERA of 0.76 and 2-1 record.

Indians Eliminate Giants

Cleveland (AP) - The Cleveland Indians advanced to the Semi-Finals with a convincing 4 games to 1 win in their playoff series. In the series opener, Mark Prior outdueled Livan Hernandez as the Indians won 4-2. Manny Ramirez had three hits which included a homer and a double to account for most of the Cleveland offense. In Game 2, Esteban Loaiza fired a complete game and Jim Thome picked up where Ramirez left off with his first homer of the series as he drove home three runs in a 10-4 Cleveland win. Barry Bonds hit his first homer of the series for San Fran.

The series moved to San Francisco for game three and the Giants rewarded their faithful with a 8-3 win behind the strong pitching of Russ Ortiz. Ortiz also contributed with his bat by driving in three runs. Cleveland took a commanding 3-1 series lead by winning game 4 by a whopping 16-5 score. Ramirez and Thome, who carried Cleveland all season offensively, drove in six runs between them. In the final game of the series, Jim Thome (who else?!) singled home Kenny Lofton in the top of the 10th inning to give the Indians a 4-3 victory.

Cleveland advances and will play the winner of the Florida-Arizona playoff series.

2003 First Round Draft Picks - Final Stats

CLASS OF 2003:
_
  NAME               BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
 1-M.Cabrera,TOA     .273  90 311  56  85 28  5 13  47  32  83  2  0 12   0  0  8
 2-J.Reyes,CHA       .321  49 215  33  69  4  4  2  19  13  25  0  1  3  18  3  5
 4-C.Figgins,MON     .277  62 242  30  67  4  4  0  13  13  50  0 11  0  20  7  1
 5-C.Utley,LAN       ----   0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0  0
 6-M.Teixeira,HON    .302  32  86  14  26  5  1  5  13   4  15  2  0  0   0  0  8
   M.Teixeira,BOA    .233  81 313  47  73 17  1 10  45  24  66  8  0  9   0  0  5
 7-V.Martinez,FLN    .294  28 102   6  30  2  0  0   5   3  15  0  0  4   0  1  1
 9-J.Bay,CLA         .400  47  45  10  18  7  2  3  21   8   9  1  0  2   2  0  0
10-H.Matsui,MNA      .266 162 638  81 170 42  2 15  78  69 116  3  0 19   3  2  3
13-J.Morneau,SFN     ----   0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0  0
15-S.Podsednik,SEA   .282 137 511  84 144 27 11  8  51  70  76  2  8  5  37  4  2
19-G.Atkins,BOA      ----   0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0  0
   G.Atkins,HON      ----   0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0  0
20-F.Sanchez,ARN     ----   0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0  0
_
_
  NAME                ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
 3-B.Webb,OAA        4.93  8  9  .471  26 25  2  1  1 157.0 146  91  86 22  77 152
 8-D.Haren,KCA       6.20  2  6  .250  21  5  2  0  1  61.0  71  47  42  9  27  38
11-D.Willis,SLN      4.56 11  5  .688  25 25  2  0  0 158.0 163  84  80 22  58 161
12-J.Nathan,ANA      3.74  6  1  .857  65  0  0  0  3  84.1  64  36  35  6  42  79
14-J.Bonderman,CHA   6.32  5 13  .278  22 22  3  0  0 132.1 149  99  93 22  60  70
16-R.Harden,ATN      6.49  1  2  .333  25  0  0  0  0  69.1  79  60  50  8  43  52
17-S.Trachsel,MON    3.58  8 10  .444  25 25  3  0  0 158.1 135  65  63 20  61  70
18-B.Lidge,PIN       6.05  5 10  .333  56  0  0  0  3  80.1  77  54  54  9  56  95

Cardinals Advance

St. Louis (AP) - The St. Louis Cardinals jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning of the first game and never looked back as the Redbirds defeated the Houston Astros 4 games to 1 in their Quarter Final Playoff Series. St. Louis won the first three games behind strong pitching by scores of 7-3 (Nomo complete game three-hitter), 2-0 (5 hit shutout by Woody Williams) and 5-2 (Matt Morris pitched strong into the 8th inning).

Facing elimination, Houston rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to win game 4 by a score of 7-2 as the 'Stros banged out 13 hits. In Game 5, Melvin Mora hit a two-run homer and Hideo Nomo and the St. Louis bullpen made the lead stand up for a 3-2 win. Houston, unable to get the clutch hits throughout the series, left 12 runners on base in the finale. Amazingly, Houston star closer Billy Wagner did not see action in the series. St. Louis will now face the winner of the Philly-Anaheim series.

1st Round Playoff Preview & Predictions

Continuing a tradition from last year! My humble predictions........

#1 Philadelphia vs. #8 Anaheim (season series: Anaheim 4-2) –
After just a 14-14 record in April, the Phillies posted a 89-45 mark the final five months of the season – that’s a .664 winning percentage folks. The Phillies trailed St. Louis by 8 ½ games on April 30th, but roared back to take the Division title. Philadelphia always has had powerful hitting. This time, they are led by: Pujols (.387, 56 HR’s, 159 RBI’s), Loretta (.330), Chavez (.321, 37 HR’s) and Hunter (34 HR’s). But what makes this team formidable, is the improved pitching staff built by manager Rick Cornell: Maddux (16-3, acquired in mid-season trade), Vazquez (16-7, acquired in trade at beginning of season) and Suppan (12-9). The Phillies are 12-11 in postseason play and lost to champ Arizona in the Semi-Finals last season.

It took Anaheim the final inning of the 163rd game to qualify for the playoffs as they rallied in their elimination game vs. the Pirates. Manager Blaise Castren’s squad has two big offensive guns: Anderson (.311, 36 HR’s, 128 RBI’s) and Delgado (.296, 39 HR’s, 111 RBI’s). Sporting a balanced attack, the Angels finished 7th in team batting average and 8th in team ERA. Pitching is led by Contreras (2.20 9-2) who pitched a no-hitter this season, Washburn (17-8), and Hampton (14-9). The Angels have never won a postseason playoff series going 3-8 in two series. Anaheim’s last series was a 4-0 series loss to St. Louis in 2001. Prediction: Phillies just too tough for the Angels PHILADELPHIA WINS IN 5 GAMES

#2 Cleveland vs. #7 San Francisco (season series: Cleveland 12-6) –
The Indians finished 30-15 the last two months of the season. Thome (.316, 61 HR’s, 162 RBI’s) and Ramirez (.315, 54 HR’s, 131 RBI’s) had amazing seasons and the Giants will need to shut down this duo. Cleveland finished 6th in team ERA and sports six pitchers with double digit wins: Loaiza & Padilla (17), Colon (15), Prior (14), Cormier (12) and Rogers (10). Cleveland has only made the playoffs in 2000 when they went all the way to the Finals before losing to Arizona; Cleveland is 8-8 in the postseason.

San Francisco again will be counting on Barry Bonds to carry them through the playoffs. Barry had another strong season: .319, 46 HR’s, 116 RBI’s and tied for the league lead in walks with 109. It went mostly unnoticed, but the Giants led the league in team ERA (3.84) – a huge improvement from finishing 11th in 2002. Ortiz (11-11, 3.38) and Hernandez (14-10, 3.65) lead the starting corps. Like several teams in this year’s playoffs, San Francisco has never won a playoff series going 4-8 in post season. San Fran’s last appearance was a 4-2 series loss in the Quarter Finals last year to Arizona.
Prediction: Indian offense outplays Giants pitching CLEVELAND WINS IN 6 GAMES

#3 Arizona vs. #6 Florida (season series: Florida 5-1) –
Two-time and defending champ Arizona has an illustrious post season record of 29-16. The D-Backs beat Boston in last year's World Series. Although Randy Johnson only went 8-7 this season, Curt Schilling picked up the slack by going 14-6 with a league leading ERA of 2.84. Mantei contributed with a 1.93 ERA, 7-2 record and 22 saves. Offense was up this year as L. Gonzalez (.343, 27 HR's, 122 RBI's), Mueller (.309) and Ordonez (.303, 23 HR's, 105 RBI's) led the team.

The Marlins improved from a 5th place 75-87 record last season to a wild card birth this year. Vlad Guerrero, acquired in a mid season trade with the Phillies, hit .315 with 17 HR's and 68 RBI's in 96 games. Although Peavy led the staff with 13 wins, the bullpen is Florida's strength: Quantrill (1.52, 5-1, 32 saves), Burba (1.66), Gryboski (2.48) and Fransworth (2.67). This is Florida's first appearance in post season play.

Prediction: Upstart Marlins shock defending champs FLORIDA WINS IN 7 GAMES

#4 Houston vs. #5 St. Louis (season series tied 3-3) -
The Astros nosed out Los Angeles by two games in the league’s weakest division. Houston finished 5th in the league in runs scored and certainly has some offensive firepower: Berkman (.316, 23 HR’s, 104 RBI’s), Alou (.313), and Bagwell (46 HR’s, 134 RBI’s). Although their primary starters (Wells, Miller, Seo, and Anderson) all had ERA’s above 5.00, Houston has depended on bullpen ace Billy Wagner (6-1, 33 Saves) all season. Houston has never won a postseason series going 4-8. Their last playoff appearance was in 2001 when they lost to Oakland 4 games to 3.

St. Louis roared out of the gate in 2003 with a sizzling 21-4 mark in April, but the team lost some of their momentum throughout the season as the Phillies overtook them to take the division crown. Regardless, the Redbirds had a fine season and were led by Renteria (.321, 52 doubles) and Edmonds (.312, 51 HR’s, 129 RBI’s). Super sub Baerga chipped in with a .367 mark that included many clutch hits. St. Louis finished second in team batting and homeruns. Pitching was led by Nomo (3.92, 16-8), but their bullpen was only average as Troy Percival compiled a disappointing 2-7 mark with just 28 saves. Number 1 draft pick Dontrelle Willis chipped in with a 11-5 mark. St. Louis is 4-8 in the post season with all series resulting in 4-0 sweeps. St. Louis last appearance was in 2001 as they lost 4-0 to eventual league champion Seattle in the Semi-Finals.
Prediction: Might be a tougher series than it looks on paper; I'll go with ST. LOUIS TO WIN IN 7 GAMES

Angels Knock Out Buccos

The Anaheim Angels scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning off closer Francisco Rodriguez as they went on to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 in the one-game playoff game. The Angels will now be the #8 seed and will meet #1 seed Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs.

Strat-O-Matic Report

---

BOXSCORE: 2003 Anaheim Angels At 2003 Pittsburgh Pirates            9/18/2003

 

  Angels             AB  R  H RBI AVG     Pirates            AB  R  H RBI AVG

  A.Kennedy 2B        5  0  2  2 .282     J.Vidro 2B          4  0  1  0 .276  

  G.Anderson LF       5  0  1  1 .311     R.Winn CF           4  1  2  1 .299  

  J.Julio P           0  0  0  0 .000     C.Wilson 1B         5  1  0  1 .254  

  S.Reed P            0  0  0  0 .500     B.Giles LF          5  2  3  1 .322  

  J.Guillen CF        5  0  2  1 .268     J.Kendall C         4  0  0  1 .309  

  C.Delgado 1B        5  0  1  0 .296     R.Sanders RF        5  2  2  2 .222  

  R.Hidalgo RF        4  1  0  0 .261     E.Alfonzo 3B        4  0  0  0 .261  

  B.Molina C          3  3  2  1 .295     M.Derosa SS         2  1  1  0 .252  

D-R.Mackowiak PH      0  0  0  0 .292     B.Zito P            3  0  1  0 .119  

E-T.Redman PR         0  1  0  0 .320     D.Baez P            0  0  0  0 .143  

F-I.Rodriguez C       0  0  0  0 .253     F.Rodriguez P       1  0  0  0 .000  

  T.Glaus 3B          3  2  2  0 .273                                          

  C.Izturis SS        4  1  0  1 .244                                          

  M.Hampton P         1  0  0  0 .125                                          

A-M.Ryan PH           1  0  0  0 .286                                          

  K.Mercker P         0  0  0  0 ----                                          

  C.Fox P             0  0  0  0 .000                                          

B-D.McCarty PH        1  1  1  0 .333                                          

  R.Stone P           0  0  0  0 ----                                          

C-J.Davanon PH,LF     1  0  1  3 .227                                          

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      

         Totals      38  9 12  9                 Totals      37  7 10  6

 

A-Pinch Hit For Hampton In 5th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Fox In 7th Inning

C-Pinch Hit For Stone In 8th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Molina In 9th Inning

E-Pinch Ran For Mackowiak In 9th Inning

F-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Redman In 9th Inning

 

Angels.......... 0 1 0  0 0 0  3 1 4  -  9 12  2

Pirates......... 1 1 1  0 2 0  1 0 1  -  7 10  0

 

Angels (85-78)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA

M.Hampton                 4       6   3   3   2   5   1   4.09

K.Mercker                 0 1/3   0   2   0   0   0   0   3.81

C.Fox                     1 2/3   1   0   0   1   3   0   3.30

R.Stone                   1       2   1   1   0   0   1   2.44

J.Julio                   0 1/3   0   0   0   1   1   0   4.02

S.Reed WIN(2-6)           1 2/3   1   1   1   0   0   1   5.99

Totals                    9      10   7   5   4   9   3

 

Pirates (84-79)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA

B.Zito                    6 2/3   8   4   4   1   6   1   3.37

D.Baez HOLD(7th)          0 2/3   1   1   1   2   1   0   4.44

F.Rodriguez L(2-7)B(4th)  1 2/3   3   4   4   4   4   0   4.84

Totals                    9      12   9   9   7  11   1

 

ATTENDANCE- 10,471 DATE- Wednesday, September 18th 2003 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good

UMPIRES- Dana Demuth, Doug Eddings, Charlie Reliford, Mark Carlson

T- 3:22

LEFT ON BASE- Angels:10  Pirates: 8

DOUBLE PLAYS- Angels: 2  Pirates: 0

ERRORS- A.Kennedy, R.Hidalgo

DOUBLES- C.Delgado(35th), J.Davanon(6th), R.Winn(45th), B.Zito

HOME RUNS- B.Molina(13th), B.Giles(41st), R.Sanders-2(20th)

SACRIFICE FLIES- A.Kennedy

WALKS- R.Hidalgo, B.Molina, R.Mackowiak, T.Glaus-2, C.Izturis, J.Davanon,

       R.Winn, J.Kendall, M.Derosa-2

HIT BY PITCH- J.Vidro

STRIKE OUTS- A.Kennedy, G.Anderson-2, J.Guillen-2, C.Delgado, R.Hidalgo-2,

             T.Glaus, C.Izturis-2, J.Vidro-2, R.Winn, R.Sanders, E.Alfonzo-2,

             M.Derosa, B.Zito, F.Rodriguez

GIDP- R.Winn, J.Kendall

BALKS- M.Hampton

 

Bengie Molina went deep and scored 3 times as the Anaheim Angels staged a

dramatic comeback over the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 9 to 7 at Miller

Park.

 

Anaheim won the game with a rally in the top of the 9th inning scoring 4

runners on 2 hits.  The critical plate appearance was by Jeff Davanon who

silenced the crowd when he doubled plating three runs.  Due to a poorly

pitched ballgame, scoring in 6 different innings was still not enough for

Pittsburgh to come away with the victory.  

 

Steve Reed(2-6) allowed 1 run in 1 and 2/3 innings, and picked up the victory.

Francisco Rodriguez(2-7) absorbed the loss in relief.  Although losing the

contest, he whiffed 4 batters in 1 and 2/3 innings.  

 

After the game, it took a long while before Mike Rescigno emerged from his

office.  In a subdued tone he answered only a couple of questions.  He

concluded with, 'Fellows, sorry I'm not in a very talkative mood this

afternoon, as I think you'll understand.  I'm sure you'll find the banter a

lot more light-hearted over in the Anaheim locker room.'

• Go to Strat-O-Matic Homepage

2003 Playoff Qualifiers

The 2003 season has concluded and the following teams have qualified for the playoffs:

Division Winners
#1 Seed - Philadelphia (103-59)
#2 Seed - Cleveland (96-66)
#3 Seed - Arizona (87-75)
#4 Seed - Houston (82-80)

Wild Card Teams
#5 Seed - St. Louis (97-65)
#6 Seed - Florida (95-67)
#7 Seed - San Francisco (90-72)
#8 Seed - Anaheim (84-78) or Pittsburgh (84-78)

A one game playoff game will be played between Anaheim & Pittsburgh for the eighth seed. Since Pittsburgh finished with a 4-2 record vs. Anaheim this season, the Pirates will be the home team. Stats for this game will be included in the regular season stats.