MLB Playoffs: Dodgers sweep, Yanks rolling

Well, so much for picking the Cardinals to go all the way. I thought they had the pitching advantage, but it was the Dodgers who won with their pitching (although Adam Wainwright had an 8 inning, one run, three hit effort blown by a Matt Holliday error). The Dodgers didn't exactly put on a hitting clinic against the Cards pitchers, but they certainly got it done, outscoring the Cardinals 13-6 in the three-game sweep.

One of the points I made in the preview in which I picked the Cardinals to win this series was that Andre Ethier finished the season in a major slump, with just three hits since September 20th. Apparently, those few days off before the series started was all he needed to get out of it. He went 2-3 with a double and two runs scored in the first game, homered to score the lone run off Wainwright in the second, and finished with a double, triple, and two-run home run in Game 3. He totaled six hits in twelve at-bats with five runs, three RBIs, and two homers.

In addition, Rafael Furcal continued his September hot streak and had a big series out of the leadoff spot. If he and Ethier keep this up throughout the playoffs, this is a very dangerous lineup, along with guys like Matt Kemp, Manny Ramirez, and James Loney. And if their pitching continues, this team will be very tough to beat. They will certainly need that pitching if they have to face the Phillies and/or Yankees, series' in which I desperately hope they win.

In other news, how about Alex Rodriguez? As fun as it is to see him failing in the playoffs, the non-biased, pure baseball fan side of me is happy to see him completely turn around his past post-season deficiencies. He is far too good a baseball player to continue not producing, and I'm sure he took the laughter personally and was determined to change that.

What a roller coaster Game 2 was. The Yankees didn't get a hit until the fifth inning. The Twins got on the board first in the top of the sixth, but the Yankees answered in the bottom half to tie. Things looked grim for Yankee fans after the Twins rallied with two out in the eighth to score two, but Mark Teixeira started off the bottom of the 9th with a single off closer Joe Nathan, followed by the big A-Rod homer to tie. The Twins left yet another runner on third in the top of the 10th.
In the bottom of the 10th, pinch runner Brett Gardner used his speed to get from first to third, but then was doubled off on a liner to end the inning.

The top of the 11th started off with one of the worst umpiring calls I've ever seen in my life. How much closer does the left field ump need to be to get that call right? I thought it was fair when I saw it on live television with the wall blocking my view of the line. That should have went for a leadoff ground rule double for Joe Mauer, but instead he settled for a single. The follow-up single by Jason Kubel would have at least gotten him to third, but he could only advance to second. Michael Cuddyer singled next, and again Mauer could only advance one base. With the bases loaded and no out, the next three batters failed to even get a productive out to score a run.

Teixeira led off the bottom of the 11th with a line drive down the left field line that barely cleared the fence for the walk-off home run.

It's easy to blame the ump for the loss, but it's easier to blame the Twins. I saw it plenty throughout the season watching the Mets: LOBs will kill you. Minnesota had 17 runners left on base in the game, including the big three with no out in the 11th, compared to the Yankees' 5. And I will tell you honestly, there is nothing in sports that aggravates me more than getting a runner to third base with no outs and not being able to drive him in.

Meanwhile, the Angels held the Red Sox to just one run in two games in Anaheim to start the series. Boston will need to find their offense and win the next three games if they wish to continue their rivalry with the Yankees (assuming the Twins are incapable of coming back), although I'm not sure they even want to with the way they played in the second half of the season series between them.

The Rockies bounced back to win Game 2 after the Phillies took the first game. Now the series moves to Colorado, where the Rockies can try to put the series away. Unfortunately for them, tonight's game was snowed out, which allows the Phillies to start probable Rookie of the Year J.A. Happ instead of Pedro Martinez, as well as bringing back Cliff Lee in Game 4 and Cole Hamels in a potential Game 5.