LFR Sports

CHICAGO VS. ARIZONA (starts Wed.)
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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

Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA. 80 degrees, cloudy

COLORADO STARTING LINEUP
1. K. Matsui 2B, 2. T. Tulowitzki SS, 3. M. Holliday LF, 4. T. Helton 1B, 5. G. Atkins 3B, 6. B. Hawpe RF, 7. R. Spilborghs CF, 8. Y. Torrealbo C, 9. J. Francis P.

PHILADELPHIA STARTING LINEUP
1. J. Rollins SS, 2. S. Victorino RF, 3. C. Utley 2B, 4. R. Howard 1B, 5. A. Rowand CF, 6. P. Burrell LF, 7. W. Helms 3B, 8. C. Ruiz C, 9. C. Hamels P.

////1ST INNING////
COL: The Rockies went down easy in the first, but you get the sense that they were loose and still confident from their long winning streak. In the playoffs, you have to keep an eye on young pitchers. Philly's Cole Hamels looked satisfactory. He's going to have to get that sinker going, though.

PHI: We should be reminded that Colorado's Jeff Francis is also a fine young pitcher who won 17 games this year. I mention it because you can't start your postseason career any better than striking out the side in the first.

////2ND INNING////
COL: Somehow, the wheels fell off Hamels. In hindsight, he seemed to be nibbling in the first....You've got to be careful with veterans like Todd Helton who have been shutout of the postseason for their entire career. It's not surprising that his leadoff triple cracked Hamels concentration. ROCKIES 3, PHILLIES 0.

PHI: Francis struckout Ryan Howard for his fourth straight K. What a message to send to Philly. He struckout the Rollins, Utley and Howard, the main cogs to the Phillies engine.

////3RD INNING////
COL: It was important for Hamels to bounce back with a quiet third. It's possible that he's settled in and the pressure is going to be on Colorado to make due with three or four runs in this one.

PHI: The Phils finally got a hit against Francis, but Rollins--the leader of this team--bounced into a rally-ending double play. Rollins is going to have to shake this team in next few innings.

////4TH INNING////
COL: The Rox went down in order in the fourth. After Hamels walked in a run in the second, he's retired seven straight. If Philly can get something going offensively, that walk to Tulowitzki oddly could be the turning point.

PHI: TBS' Joe Simpson noted that the Phillies have behind in the count 0-2 six times through four innings. Sometimes that could portend for something good offensively because it means the pitcher is around the strike zone, but generally today, Francis is not getting the Phillies to bite on pitches outside the zone. A great debut for Francis.

////5TH INNING////
COL: That's ten straight retired since the walk in the second. A nice play by Phils 3B Wes Helms. On a play like that it's also nice to have a huge target in Howard at first.

PHI: The Phillies have awaken and the crowd is back into this one. Back-to back homers by Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell have the Rockies on the mat. Both homers had the hallmarks of Citizens Bank Park, short blasts that landing in the first row. Nowhere else other than Wrigley Field would those be out...Keep an eye on Rollins. Look at his facial expression--he's pressing already. ROCKIES 3, PHILLIES 2.

////6TH INNING////
COL: Fourteen straight down. Hamels's pitch count is getting up there. The seventh should be his last and the Rockies could take their chances with Philly's bullpen.

PHI: Rollins, Utley and Howard are 0 for 8 with six strikeouts. The rest of the lineup can't make up for their lack of production and have a chance in this series.

////7TH INNING////
COL: The Rox finally ran Hamels out of the game. After a shaky start Hamels stats look very, well, Hamel-like: 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 7 K. Philly reliever Tom Gordon did a nice job to strand Spilborghs at second. Gordon still has that signature 12-to-6 curveball.

PHI: Francis leaves the game. His stats: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K. Former Giant LaTroy Hawkins enters the game. Nice nine-pitch walk for Greg Dobbs, especially while pinch-hitting. Unfortunately, Ruiz grounded into an inning-ending double play.

////8TH INNING////
COL: The Rox strike first in this battle of bullpens. Matt Holliday hits a homer to left center. J.C. Romero enters the game. His slider is very crisp today as it was evident on Helton's pop up to short. Nice play by Rollins at short. It's amazing how he got off such an accurate throw on that play. ROCKIES 4, PHILLIES 2.

PHI: Set up man Brian Fuentes enters the game for Colorado. After walking the leadoff man and going 3-2 to Rollins, Fuentes retires the side and will give way to Manuel Corpas in the ninth. How can a guy like Utley who hit .332 during the regular season strikeout four times? Nerves? A burgeoning storyline in this series seems to be the pressing of Rollins, Utley and possibly Howard.

////9TH INNING////
COL: Brett Myers enters the game. Is this why Myers is such an enigma? After repeatedly flipping crisp breaking balls for strikes to the first two hitters, he suddenly stopped after giving up an infield single to Torrealba and a single to Cory Sullivan. Now he's missing badly to Matsui.

PHI: Manuel Corpas looked sharp in the ninth, but he did get three pivotal strikes from umpire Dale Scott, two way low and a called strike three clearly inside to Howard. The Rockies win to take a 1-0 lead in this series. Their 15th win in the their last 16.

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COL 030 000 010 - 4 6 0
PHI 000 020 000 - 2 4 0
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WP-Francis 1-0
LP-Hamels 0-1
SV-Corpas 1
HR-Rowand, Burrell, Holliday.

Labels: NLDS, Phillies, Rockies

PHILADELPHIA VS COLORADO (start Wed.)
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Something's gotta give in this series. The Phillies just exorcized the ghost's of their infamous 1964 collapse by passing it on to the Mets and the red-hot Rockies enter postseason play winners of 14 of 15.

Both have prodigious power and launching pads for ballparks and pitching with a steep decline past their number one starters. This series is screaming for one team to seriously falter and that team may be Colorado.

What gives?

In Monday's tiebreaker game against San Diego, the Rockies won despite shocking breakdowns on defense. They may be one of the National League's better defensive clubs, but the lack of range and aggresiveness by Matt Holliday and Garret Atkins in that game--the biggest of the year and maybe the franchise--was a concern. Even the impressive rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki flubbed a gimme groundball late in that same game.

Colorado has one of the most attractive lineups one to nine left in the playoffs, but Philly nearly equals it if not for quantity but quality. The threesome of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are a triumvirate that could lead the Phils to the World Series. To do that, Rollins is going to have to continue to personally will this team to victory. He could do that and, in fact, already put his money where's his mouth is by predicting the NL East title back in spring training.

Lack of pitching depth won't be a problem for Philly at least not in this round, but Cole Hamels is the type of pitcher who could dominate a short series. I would almost guarantee two wins from him in each series. Is that enough for Kyle Lohse or Jamie Moyer to pick up the slack? Yes. Many are predicting a Home Run Derby for every game in this series. I think not. PHILLIES IN THREE.

////LIVE BLOGGING OF GAME 1
[\\\\OF THIS SERIES BEGINS WED., 12PM PT

Labels: NLDS, Phillies, Rockies