I’m with the those who say playoff baseball is as much random chance as anything else. I don’t believe it takes anything away from the champions, because everyone has a chance to the rules of the game before they play it, but it’s different enough from the regular season that you shouldn’t be surprised when [...]
Cubs 41-24
Braves 32-33
POTG: C Soto (HR, 2H, 2R, 3 RBI)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (2H, SB, CS, IBB, 2R, 2BB), 1B D Lee (HR, 2 RBI), 3B A Ram (3 R, H, RBI, 3 BB), RF Fukudome (2 H, SB, R, RBI), 2B DeRosa (2 H, RBI), CF Johnson (H, 2 RBI, SF)
Good old destruction. The [...]
POTG: RP MARMOL (1.2 IP, 2 runners marrooned to preserve the lead)
Runner Up: SP Jason Marquis (6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2K), 2B Mark DeRosa (3 H, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR)
It was really three guys providing all the effort – DeRosa was responsible for the offense, Marquis had an [...]
Cubs 39-24
Dodgers 30-32
POTG: LF Soriano (HR)
Runner Up: none
I choose to remember this game as Z going along fine, and then an error unfairly deraling things. It totally couldn’t be his fault, that’s impossible. 13 hits is surely an acceptable number.
I just talked down Maddux as a pickup, but how about Lowe? He’s looked pretty effective [...]
POTG: none
Runner Up: none
I’m sure I watched this game. But I was so tired a this point, I may have just been staring at a blank screen for 3 hours. I recall nothing happened, and the box score indicates that’s pretty much right. I’m no scientist, but you’re not going win many games with 4 [...]
POTG: RF Fukudome (HR, 2H, 2RBI, BB)
Runner Up: SS The Riot (3 H, 2B, R, RBI), CF Edmonds (2 H), 2B DeRosa (2 H, HR, BB)
This was a bit of a crazy finish. Just like Dempster, Wood’s control is always going to be the worry spot for his saves. Of course, Kerry’s nice enough to [...]
Dodgers 26-26
Cubs 32-21
POTG: SP Z!! (8 IP, 6H, ER, 4 BB, 3 K, QS)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (2 H, RBI), RF Fukudome (2 H), PH Fontenot (2B, R)
3 straight one run performances by the pitching staff didn’t really get as much play as I think it should’ve. Again, the Dodgers aren’t great, but that sort [...]
Dodgers 26-25
Cubs 31-21
POTG: SP Sean Gallagher (7 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K)
Runner Up: 3B A Ram (2 H, RBI), RF Fukudome (2 H, 2B, R, RBI), C Soto (2 H, 2B)
Having the same score makes this process all that much quicker.
This was the start that moved Gallagher from “fill-in starter” to “in [...]
Dodgers 26-24
Cubs 30-21
POTG: SP Ryan Dempster (7 IP, H, R, 3 BB, 3 K., W [6])
Runner Up: 1B D Lee (HR, 2 RBI), 3B A Ram (2 H, HR)
TWENTY ONE GAMES TO CATCH UP. No problem.
The transformation of Ryan Dempster into a slightly poor man’s Brandon Webb, at least at home, is still a bit [...]