Veteran Cubs Battle Unproven Diamondbacks
CHICAGO VS. ARIZONA (starts Wed.)----------------
The Arizona Diamondbacks remind me of the Oakland Athletics circa 2001. Those A's were built with a specific blueprint of patient power hitting, strong pitching and defense played by a largely inexperienced club. Those clubs, probably the peak of the Billy Beane era in Oakland were perennial winners who flopped in the Division Series.
There was a flaw in Oakland's blueprint, they could breeze through the regular season despite playing dreadfully in April and May, but could not win that crucial elimination game. Why? Because their dogma of high on-base percentage hitting and an inability to play any other type of game in October tied their hands. It was also the prevalence of youth, but moreso, inexperience that was the A's downfall.
Whether it was Terrence Long losing a flyball in the twinight sky, a Miguel Tejada baserunning blunder or Eric Byrnes forgetting to step on home plate. Something strange bit this team every October. Arizona is the same type of club. Note, that their leader is the same Eric Byrnes and concerns about beating the Cubs should be raised.
By all accounts, the rebuidling D'Backs are about a year or two ahead of schedule, but they are placing much of the pressure of advancing on budding young stars like Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Jeff Salazar.
After Brandon Webb and Jose Valverde in the bullpen there's not much in between. The Cubs, on the other hand, have veterans throughout the lineup. I like players like Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee in a series like this where the possibility of error is lower than Arizona.
I know that many have attributed Arizona's manager Bob Melvin with much of the team's success despite scoring fewer runs they gave up, but I like a savvy old vet like Lou Piniella in the Cubs dugout outmaneuvering the former Giants catcher. CUBS IN FIVE
Labels: Cubs, Diamondbacks, NLDS
