Turning Two - Day 1 of the MLB Playoffs

Well, this was my holiday, but I didn't get any presents. The two teams I hate the most both won, and the team I picked to knock them out lost.

Cliff Lee completely dominated the Rockies in the first game of the day. He tired in the 9th inning and lost his shutout, but still hung in for the complete game 5-1 victory. I would not expect the Rockies offense to remain quiet against the other Phillies pitchers, but the Phillies offense is certainly not going anywhere either. If the Rockies got a better performance from Ubaldo Jimenez and took Game 1, they could have a nice advantage, but I really don't think they can win three of the next four games.

The Twins got off to a 2-0 lead, but the Yankees came back strong with home runs by Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui, plus two RBI hits from Alex Rodriguez, and ultimately won the game 7-2. I fully expect the Yankee dominance to continue in this short series. The Twins just do not have the pitching to keep the Yanks off the board.

The Cardinals and Dodgers was definitely the game that most interested me, but maybe it's just because it didn't involve the Phillies or Yankees winning easily. But this is shaping up to be a hard fought series that I can see going the full five games. The Cardinals should be disappointed about Carpenter's performance, but they will come right back with Adam Wainwright tomorrow to try and even things up. By the way, Brendan Ryan is my new favorite player. I love the old-school mustache and stirrups.

At least tomorrow the Yankees won't be playing. The two National League matchups will continue, then the Red Sox/Angels series will start. Unfortunately I will miss most of the action due to working late then having to go to sleep because I'm working early the next morning. Oh well.