From the 163th game on - when Brandon Inge ('s jersey) was nicked by a pitch with the bases loaded, but had to stay at the plate when the umpires missed the call - the playoffs have again proven that baseball is a game of inches and mistakes. There have been several horrible calls already by the umps (I don't rank Inge's HBP among them, that guy should tuck his jersey in properly) and several costly mistakes by player, most notably of course Matt Holliday's misplay, but the Twins Gomez slipping behind second base and then getting tagged out before the runner could score also cost the Twins the game and most likely the series (not that their chances were too great to begin with). In that spirit, I wonder why MLB allows TBS to show a virtual strikezone for every single pitch. I don't know how many basically identical pitches were called balls here and strikes there.

Phillies - Rockies is the only series tied at 1-1 and it is wide open. If the cold weather forces a delay, which then would allow the Phillies to throw in Lee and Hamels for two games each at normal rest, the advantage goes to the Phillies. In any way, this whole affair only demonstrates that the season is dragged on too long. Why not start a week early and drop a few off-days in the postseason so no games have to be played in ice-cold environment.

The Dodgers - Cardinals series was also supposed to be tied at one game apiece before Matt Holliday lost the ball in the sun or the towels waved by the fans (seriously?). The Dodgers must feel good about themselves, winning against Carpenter and Wainwright, but unless they win game three and sweep, this series is not over (well, duh!). If the Cards bring back their two aces for game 4 and 5, they have a good chance to advance to the NLCS after all.

The Angels go to Fenway Park with a commanding 2-0 and have Scott Kazmir pitching in game 3, so chances are good they will finally get past the Red Sox. What is different this year? First, the Angels are finally scoring some runs and the Red Sox lineup, while still pretty good, is not the juggernaut it once was (Big Papi is 0-8)

Finally, the Yankees will try to sweep the series in what would be the last game in the Metrodome. I guess nobody outside of Minnesota would have bet a dime on the Twins in the first place, but a lucky bounce hear and a hanging pitch there and a five game series can go either way. Unfortunately, the Twins had their chances in game 2 and threw them away. The Yankees can use Sabathia and Burnett again for game 4 and 5 and their offense is so much better, I would be very, very surprised if this one even goes back New York.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites